Oldest animals on Earth found to share a common wormlike ancestor
New research from the University of St Andrews identifies a common wormlike ancestor for brachiopods, bryozoans, and phoronids. This study clarifies the evolutionary relationships within the Lophophorata group.
Why it matters
Provides significant insights into the evolutionary history of some of the oldest animal lineages on Earth, dating back to the Cambrian period.
edited by Lisa Lock , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add to Preferred Sources Underwater photo of one of the species studied, Pajaudina atlantica, from La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. Credit: Hana Jurikova New research from the University of St Andrews has shed light on the evolution of an important yet thus far poorly understood group of marine invertebrate animals—brachiopods. The work, published in Science Advances , presents the first comprehensive phylogenomic analysis of all five extant brachiopod orders and related lineages.
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