Lukas VFN πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊSep 25, 2023

#Ediacaran #fossils reveal origins of #biomineralization that led to expansion of life on Earth
https://phys.org/news/2023-09-ediacaran-fossils-reveal-biomineralization-expansion.html

Constraining the onset and environmental setting of #metazoan biomineralization https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X23003497

"#Cloudina originated in a low #oxygen environment with periods of notably higher #oxygenation... it was not a case of sustained oxygenation that resulted in the appearance of #skeletonization... high #carbonate concentrations in the ocean were necessary"

Ediacaran fossils reveal origins of biomineralization that led to expansion of life on Earth

Life on Earth began from a single-celled microbe, while the rise to the multicellular world in which we live arose due a vital chemical process known as biomineralization, during which living organisms produce hardened mineralized tissue, such as skeletons. Not only did this phenomenon give rise to the plethora of body plans we see today, but it also had a major impact on the planet's carbon cycle.

Phys.org
CellBioNewsJul 6, 2023

New study presents whole-body #gene #expression atlas of an adult #metazoan.

#C_elegans

https://phys.org/news/2023-07-whole-body-gene-atlas-adult-metazoan.html

New study presents whole-body gene expression atlas of an adult metazoan

Cellular identity is defined by gene activity that drives intercellular communication and is pivotal to understand mechanisms underlying multicellular organisms. In a new report Abbas Ghaddar and a research team in biology, pediatrics, systems biology, genome sciences, bioengineering and cardiovascular research in the U.S., presented an atlas of gene activity of a fertile adult metazoan Caenorhabditis elegans at the level of single-cell resolution. The compendium comprised 180 distinct cell types and a whopping 19,657 expressed genes. The outcomes are now published in Science Advances.

Phys.org
KaylinQMay 31, 2023

Scientists calculate there are thousands of unidentified species living on the ocean floor between Hawaii and Mexico where deep-sea mining for critical minerals needed to build batteries is set to begin next year.

How many #metazoan species live in the world’s largest mineral exploration region?

#ClarionClipperton Zone
#CCZ
#DeepSeaMining

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)00534-1

Lukas VFN πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΊMay 5, 2023

Gutless marine #worms on a Mediterranean diet: #Animals can synthesize #phytosterols https://phys.org/news/2023-05-gutless-marine-worms-mediterranean-diet.html

De novo phytosterol synthesis in animals https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.add7830 by Dolma Michellod et al.

"Their study is the first to show that a #metazoan #animal can synthesize #phytosterols... Even more surprising for the researchers was their discovery that the gene needed to make #sitosterol from precursors of #cholesterol is widespread in the animal kingdom."

Gutless marine worms on a Mediterranean diet: Animals can synthesize phytosterols

Cholesterol and phytosterol are sterols, fatty compounds essential for many biological processes such as the functioning of cell membranes. Up to now, it has been assumed that phytosterols are characteristic for plants, and cholesterol for animals, and that only plants can make phytosterols, while animals typically make cholesterol.

Phys.org