We Are Nobody: Contingency and Convergence in Evolution

A butterfly emerges from its cocoon. No butterfly can change this outcome.

It is the year 2092. Nemo Nobody is the last mortal on our planet. At 117 years old, the brittle Nemo is almost at the end of his life. Everyone around him will live forever, whereas he will be the last one to die. Nemo spends his last days in a hospital where he features in [...]

Sponge Genomes: Simply Complex

Spongia officinalis, or "kitchen sponge". It is dark grey because it is alive, unlike the one in your bathtub.

You might not think much of sponges. Maybe you feel that they’re only good for rubbing your back and cleaning your kitchen sink. While you’re absolutely right that sponges have to be admired for their absorbing qualities, they have much more to offer this world. Like on the front of early animal evolution: new research [...]

Black ghost knifefish in a strange angle

I bet you never wondered why the black ghost knifefish hunts at an uncomfortable angle of -30°! Prepare to take a journey on the intersection of animal behaviour, neurobiology and biomechanics! Suppose you’re one of your animal ancestors, swimming around in one of the warm and shallow Cambrian seas 500 million years ago. You’re a [...]