Genome sequence deepens mystery of inconspicuous sea creature

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Trichoplax adhaerens a pancake of cells first discovered on the walls of a saltwater aquarium in the 1880s. Its genome sequence shows it to be an ancient ancestor of all animals. (Ana SignorovitchYale University)
Trichoplax adhaerens, a pancake of cells first discovered on the walls of a saltwater aquarium in the 1880s. Its genome sequence shows it to be an ancient ancestor of all animals. (Ana Signorovitch/Yale University)
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Resembling a smudge more than an animal, a mysterious life form known as a placozoan has now joined other obscure and primitive creatures whose genomes are providing insight into how animals first arose more than 650 million years ago.


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New penguin species found in New Zealand

10 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Australian and New Zealand researchers have used ancient DNA from penguin fossils to make a startling discovery that may change the way we view species extinctions.

Falling home ownership, equity, affect college enrollment

11 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
Sagging college enrollments may be the next symptom of the sub-prime mortgage mess, according to a University of Michigan economist.

Scientists fight stem rust UG99 before it becomes a threat

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(PhysOrg.com) -- Wheat breeders and plant pathologists at Montana State University are part of a global effort to develop varieties of wheat resistant to a new fungus. UG99, a stem rust strain that was first discovered in ...

Scientist Unlocking the Secrets of Sea Slug that Lives Like a Plant

12 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Photosynthesis generates the oxygen needed for life on earth as well as the biomass for food and biofuel production. The process is driven by the absorption of the sun’s energy by tiny green "bodies" called ...

Archeologists say they found witch doctor skeleton

12 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(AP) -- Archeologists believe a 12,000-year-old skeleton found in a grave containing 50 tortoise shells, a leopard pelvis, a cow tail and part of an eagle wing is the remains of a witch doctor.
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