When is a worm not a worm? When it’s a jellyfish...

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The rare worm Buddenbrockia only merits a footnote in most biology textbooks. Now genetic research has shown it is a relative of anemones and jellyfish. Credit: University of Oxford
The rare worm Buddenbrockia only merits a footnote in most biology textbooks. Now genetic research has shown it is a relative of anemones and jellyfish. Credit: University of Oxford

One of the world’s strangest creatures has found its long-lost kin. Oxford University scientists have discovered that an extremely rare gutless worm is related to sea anemones and jellyfish, rather than similar-looking animals, reports this week’s Science. The finding could cause an evolutionary rethink.


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