Worm-like Marine Animal Providing Fresh Clues About Human Evolution
Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 19:28
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Research on the genome of a marine creature is shedding new light on a key area of the tree of life. Because amphioxus is evolving slowly -- its body plan remains similar to that of fossils from the Cambrian time -- the animal serves as an intriguing comparison point for tracing how vertebrates have evolved and adapted. This includes new information about how vertebrates have employed old genes for new functions.