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News Release 08-059
And the First Animal on Earth Was a ...
Evolutionary history of the comb jelly reveals surprising clues about Earth’s first animal
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A comb jelly. The evolutionary history of the comb jelly has revealed surprising clues about Earth's first animal.
Credit: Casey Dunn
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The comb jelly could only have achieved its apparent seniority over the simpler sponge via one of two new evolutionary scenarios: 1) the comb jelly evolved its complexity independently of other animals, after it branched off onto its own evolutionary path; or 2) the sponge evolved its simple form from more complex creatures--a possibility that underscores the fact that evolution is not necessarily just a march towards increased complexity, says Dunn. This scenario would provide a particularly dramatic example of that principle.
Credit: Zina Deretsky, NSF
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A comb jelly
Credit: Casey Dunn
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A comb jelly
Credit: Casey Dunn
Download the high-resolution JPG version of the image. (351 KB)
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