Sponge genes surprise
Scientists have deciphered the genetic makeup of a sponge living inside a coral
THE common ancestor of all animals may have resembled a certain absorbent, yellow, porous someone who lives in a pineapple under the sea. A complete genetic catalog of the sponge Amphimedon queenslandica suggests that the first animals already had a complex kit of genetic tools at their disposal. Sponges harbor between 18,000 and 30,000 genes roughly the same number as humans, fruit flies, roundworms and other animals, an international team of researchers reports in the Aug. 5 Nature. Comparison of the sponge's genetic blueprints with those of other animals reveals that sponge genes are lined up in the same way as those of other animals. Analyses in the new study also support the idea that sponges form the base of the animal branch of the evolutionary tree, says April Hill, an evolutionary developmental biologist at the University of Richmond in Virginia who was not involved in the work. ..................................................Source: Science News
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments