http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/01/28/sea-sponge-is-ousted-so-whats-the-last-common-ancestor-of-all-animals/ 80beats is DISCOVER's news aggregator, weaving together the choicest tidbits from the best articles covering the day\'s most compelling topics. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:34:00 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/01/28/sea-sponge-is-ousted-so-whats-the-last-common-ancestor-of-all-animals/comment-page-1/#comment-17759 Jumblepudding Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:53:03 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/01/28/sea-sponge-is-ousted-so-whats-the-last-common-ancestor-of-all-animals/#comment-17759 Let's hope it doesn't boil down to clams or the scientologists will be gloating. Let’s hope it doesn’t boil down to clams or the scientologists will be gloating.

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/01/28/sea-sponge-is-ousted-so-whats-the-last-common-ancestor-of-all-animals/comment-page-1/#comment-17756 John Lerch Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:22:03 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/01/28/sea-sponge-is-ousted-so-whats-the-last-common-ancestor-of-all-animals/#comment-17756 Just because the placazoans are more ancient than sea sponges does not mean that the nervous system evolved twice. Whatever criterion the program used to place the placazoans in cnidaria is more likely to have evolved twice. (Presumably the criterion is some genetic marker; and presumably that marker is related (possibly in a presently unknown way) to the manufacture of the nervous system.) Just because the placazoans are more ancient than sea sponges does not mean that the nervous system evolved twice. Whatever criterion the program used to place the placazoans in cnidaria is more likely to have evolved twice. (Presumably the criterion is some genetic marker; and presumably that marker is related (possibly in a presently unknown way) to the manufacture of the nervous system.)

]]> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/01/28/sea-sponge-is-ousted-so-whats-the-last-common-ancestor-of-all-animals/comment-page-1/#comment-17754 Adam Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:38:16 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/01/28/sea-sponge-is-ousted-so-whats-the-last-common-ancestor-of-all-animals/#comment-17754 Well I didn't see that one coming - I can imagine the Creationists gloating. Of course the finding might mean we're actually more closely related to the Ediacarans. More secrets to be revealed as genomes are sequenced in greater numbers and compared... Well I didn’t see that one coming – I can imagine the Creationists gloating. Of course the finding might mean we’re actually more closely related to the Ediacarans. More secrets to be revealed as genomes are sequenced in greater numbers and compared…

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