Tag Archive for 'Sponge'

Illustration of a DNA molecule. Image credit: Christoph Bock, Max Planck Institute for Informatics / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Long-Distance Gene Control Appeared Over 650 Million Years Ago, Study Suggests

May 7, 2025 by News Staff

Distal regulation — the ability to control genes from far away, over many tens of thousands of DNA letters — appeared at the very dawn of animal...

Abyssocladia janusi. Image credit: M. Ekins & N.G. Wilson, doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-72917-8.

Six New Species of Carnivorous Sponges Discovered in Australian Waters

Oct 30, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), marine biologists have discovered six new species of carnivorous sponges in the family Cladorhizidae from the...

An artistic reconstruction of the Cabrières Biota: in the foreground, a row of Ampyx (trilobites) and various shelly organisms, including brachiopods and a hyolith (bottom left corner); behind the trilobites, a lobopodian, a chelicerate, cnidarians (blue), sponges (green), thin branching algae (red and green) and hemichordate tubes (purple), along with some mollusks; bivalved arthropods inhabit the water column along with graptolites. Image credit: Christian McCall, Prehistorica Art.

Unique Fossil Site Discovered in France Provides Insights into Ordovician Polar Ecosystems

Feb 9, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

In a new paper in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution, paleontologists described the diversity of the Cabrières Biota, a new Early Ordovician site...

Cyathophycus balori. Image credit: Botting et al., doi: 10.1016/j.geobios.2023.07.004.

Paleontologists Find 315-Million-Year-Old Sponge Fossil in Ireland

Jan 5, 2024 by Enrico de Lazaro

At more than 50 cm (20 inches) in height, the remarkable new species Cyathophycus balori is the largest known member of its genus Cyathophycus, and one...

The newly-discovered carnivorous demosponge species. Image credit: Merrick Ekins & John Hooper, doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5293.3.2.

Marine Biologists Discover Three New Species of Carnivorous Sponges

Jun 26, 2023 by Sergio Prostak

Scientists from Queensland Museum have described three new species of carnivorous demosponges from the Great Barrier Reef, in Queensland, Australia. The...

Reconstruction of the Castle Bank community; sponge in foreground is 2 cm tall. Image credit: Botting et al., doi: 10.1038/s41559-023-02038-4.

Ordovician-Period Fossil Site Discovered in Wales

May 3, 2023 by Sergio Prostak

The highly-diverse Middle Ordovician fossil site at Castle Bank, Wales, is directly comparable with the famous Burgess Shale and Chengjiang biotas in paleoenvironment...

New Species of Branching Worm Discovered in Waters Off Japan

Jan 21, 2022 by Sergio Prostak

Marine biologists have described a third species of branching syllid worm — and the second within the genus Ramisyllis — living inside an undescribed...

Sponge-Like Animals May Have Lived in Oceans 890 Million Years Ago

Jul 30, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Paleontologists have found possible sponge body fossils in 890-million-year-old microbial reefs in northwestern Canada. If verified, they may pre-date...

Amphimedon queenslandica. Image credit: University of Queensland.

Sea Sponge from Great Barrier Reef Unravels 700-Million-Year-Old Mystery of Evolution

Nov 17, 2020 by News Staff

Humans, mice, zebrafish, and most likely other animals, share enhancers — DNA regions that help to regulate gene expression and evolve rapidly —...

Desmacella hyaline. Image credit: Sally Leys.

New Species of Glass Sponge Discovered

Jul 20, 2020 by Natali Anderson

A research team led by University of Alberta marine biologists has discovered a new species of sea sponge living off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. Desmacella...

Choanocyte-derived archaeocytes are capable of generating new choanocyte chambers (dotted line). Scale bar - 10 μm. Image credit: Sogabe et al, doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1290-4.

First Multicellular Organisms Were Collections of Stem Cell-Like Cells, Research Suggests

Jun 19, 2019 by News Staff

A team of researchers from the University of Queensland and the University of Alabama has found that the first multicellular organisms probably weren’t...

The yellow pot sponge (Rhabdastrella globostellata), a modern species of demosponge that makes the same 26-mes steroids that Zumberge et al found in ancient rocks. Image credit: Ria Tan, www.wildsingapore.com / CC BY 2.0.

Scientists Find New Biomarker Evidence for Neoproterozoic Animals

Oct 17, 2018 by News Staff

A team of scientists led by University of California, Riverside’s Professor Gordon Love has found the oldest evidence yet of animal life, dating back...

Asbestopluma monticola. Image credit: Lundsten L et al / MBARI.

Four New Species of Carnivorous Sponges Discovered in Pacific Ocean

Apr 15, 2014 by News Staff

Marine biologists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and three Canadian research organizations have described four new species of...

Extraordinary New Sponge Species Discovered

Nov 5, 2012 by Natali Anderson

A team of scientists led by Dr Lonny Lundsten of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) in Moss Landing, California, has discovered an extraordinary...

Oldest Animal Fossils Discovered in Namibia

Feb 8, 2012 by James Freeman

An international team of paleontologists has discovered fossil organisms, which they believe are the first animals that lived on Earth. Fossilized Otavia...