Researchers Have Discovered the Initial Branched in the Evolutionary Family Tree
In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have finally determined the animal that traces its lineage back to the "sister" of all other animals - the elusive comb jelly. This revelation has been decades in the making, as researchers debated between sea sponges and comb jellies as the contenders for the first split in the animal tree of life.
The key to this discovery lies in the analysis of the arrangement of genes on the creatures' chromosomes. In comb jellies, researchers found 14 groups of genes located on separate chromosomes, making the comb jelly the most genetically isolated animal. On the other hand, in sea sponges, those 14 groups had been rearranged into 7 groups, indicating that sponges split off from the original genome later than the comb jellies.
Jackie Appel, a writer and editor from Pennsylvania with a background in astrophysics, has been sharing this exciting news with her audience. Known for her engaging voice on TikTok and her contributions to Popular Mechanics, Jackie delves into science-related stories with a passion for storytelling, particularly about space and physics.
This new knowledge offers scientists a unique opportunity to investigate the history of animal evolution and the mechanisms powering that evolution. The group of animals whose common ancestor is the "sister" of the common ancestor of all living animals today is known as the "Choanoflagellates" or, more broadly, the "Urmetazoan sister group." This group, typically referred to as the sister group to Metazoa (animals) in evolutionary biology, consists of unicellular organisms closely related to animals and representing the closest living relatives outside the animal kingdom.
As the first animal to branch off from the common ancestor of all animals, the comb jelly holds a significant place in the history of life on Earth. Jackie Appel, with her deep love for storytelling and her platform on TikTok and Popular Mechanics, continues to share the "weird wonders" of the universe, making complex scientific discoveries accessible and engaging for a general audience. To learn more about Jackie and her work, you can visit her bio on the Popular Mechanics website or follow her on the Popular Mechanics TikTok page.
