New family tree of worms has roots in the 19th century

Tomompteris, a free-living worm belonging to the Errantia. When they are disturbed, they release glowing particles from their parapodia.

Nineteenth century biologists had a point when they divided the ringed worms into free-living hunters and sessile filter feeders. Their classification was dismissed in the 1970s, but a closer look at the genes of many different worms now shows that they were closer to the truth than their later colleagues. The classification of worms got [...]

On the Origin of Animals

Think of an animal – any animal you’d like. Unless you’re a big fan of sponges or jelleyfish, or a protistologist perhaps, you likely thought of an animal that belongs to the Bilateria. This group includes all animals that show bilateral symmetry, so every single insect, vertebrate and mollusk belongs to this group. Like in [...]