New Fossil Anemone Reveals Innard Secrets
New Fossil Anemone Reveals Innard Secrets avatar

Continuing its trend as one of the top destinations for out-of-this-world fossil finds, China is yielding yet another piece to the evolutionary jigsaw puzzle. In a recent PLoS One article, Han and colleagues report the findings of a new squishy sea anemone from the Lower Cambrian. The new find lends support to genetic data . . . → Read More: New Fossil Anemone Reveals Innard Secrets

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What in Darwin’s Name Are Chaetognaths?!
What in Darwin’s Name Are Chaetognaths?! avatar

Lynn Margulis classified the Chaetognaths, known as arrow worms, as deuterostomes. Deuterostomy is characterized by  several developmental characteristics including radial, indeterminate cleavage, a posterior position of the blastopore (deuterostomy=”second mouth”), enterocoelous coelom formation and a tripartite adult body plan with a post-anal tail. At least this is what I was taught “growing up”. Three . . . → Read More: What in Darwin’s Name Are Chaetognaths?!

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100 Word Post: Hurdia victoria
100 Word Post: Hurdia victoria avatar

Illustration of Hurdia victoria by Marianne Collins. This marine predator lived 500 million years ago and reveals clues to the origins of arthropods. © J B Caron Royal Ontario Museum Anomalocaris ruled the Cambrian seas but apparently so did a twenty centimenter cousin. Hurdia victoria, originally described in 1912, was known from just a jumble . . . → Read More: 100 Word Post: Hurdia victoria

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