Changing Seas

Sponges: Oldest Creatures in the Sea?

Recent DNA research has cast doubt on the theory that sponges were the first animals to branch off the “Animal Tree of Life,” a kind of family tree for all living and extinct animals on earth. Recently, some scientists are suggesting that ctenophores, also known as comb jellies, are an older lineage.

Sponges: Oldest Creatures in the Sea?

26m 43s

Recent DNA research has cast doubt on the theory that sponges were the first animals to branch off the “Animal Tree of Life,” a kind of family tree for all living and extinct animals on earth. Recently, some scientists are suggesting that ctenophores, also known as comb jellies, are an older lineage.

  • Sponges: Oldest Creatures in the Sea? - Trailer: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Sponges: Oldest Creatures in the Sea? - Trailer

    S8 E801 - 3m 8s

    Until recently there was scientific consensus that sponges were the first animals to branch off the “Animal Tree of Life,” a kind of family tree for all living and extinct animals on earth. But recent DNA research has cast doubt on that theory, with some scientists suggesting that ctenophores, also known as comb jellies, are an older lineage.

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