Tag: publication

New study in PNAS by Kocot lab members sheds light on early mollusk evolution

September 25, 2023

The Cambrian Explosion was a dramatic event during which almost all major animal groups emerged simultaneously, making it a challenge to reconstruct the relationships between different branches of the animal tree of life. To better understand the early evolution of Mollusca, the second most diverse group of animals, a new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences co-authored by Dr. Kevin Kocot and PhD candidate Meghan Yap-Chiongco in Department of Biological Sciences and Alabama Museum of Natural History […]

BSC research helps shed light on last common ancestor of animals

June 13, 2019

A new publication in the journal Nature has called into question a long-held hypothesis about the last common ancestor of animals. A group of single-celled (or colonial) protists called choanoflagellates are the closest living relatives of animals. Choanoflagellate cells have a whip-like flagellum surrounded by a basket-like structure that they use to capture and eat bacteria floating in sea water. Interestingly, these cells look and function very similar to feeding cells of sponges, one of the earliest-branching groups of animals. […]

Dr. Kocot’s team discovers bizarre new species and sheds light on evolution of molluscs

May 9, 2019

Aplacophorans are unusual shell-less and worm-shaped molluscs related to snails, slugs, clams, and octopus. About 400 species are known to science but because there are only a handful of scientists worldwide studying the group, it is estimated that there are likely tenfold more species waiting to be discovered. Little is known about aplacophoran evolutionary history, which has hindered understanding of early molluscan evolution. Dr. Kocot and his collaborators at Auburn University, the University of Bergen, and Rådgivende Biologer in Bergen […]