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ANIMAL EVOLUTION

Searching for sponge origins

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Sponges are believed by many researchers to be the earliest living animal group, but there is conflicting evidence for the timing of their origin. A molecular fossil discovery supports the contention that sponges appeared very early, but starkly contradicts the body fossil record.

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Fig. 1: Sponge evolution as inferred from the molecular versus the body fossil record.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Nanjing, China

    Joseph P. Botting

  2. Department of Natural Sciences, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, Cardiff, UK

    Joseph P. Botting

  3. Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany

    Benjamin J. Nettersheim

  4. MPI Biogeochemistry/MARUM, Paleobiogeochemistry Group, Bremen University, Bremen, Germany

    Benjamin J. Nettersheim

Authors
  1. Joseph P. Botting
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  2. Benjamin J. Nettersheim
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Correspondence to Joseph P. Botting.

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Botting, J.P., Nettersheim, B.J. Searching for sponge origins. Nat Ecol Evol 2, 1685–1686 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0702-4

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