[Geology2] Ancient Sea Jelly Makes Tree of Life Wobble

Ancient Sea Jelly Makes Tree of Life Wobble

A 580-million-year-old fossil is casting doubt on the established tree
of animal life. The invertebrate, named Eoandromeda octobrachiata
because its body plan resembles the spiral galaxy Andromeda, suggests
that the earliest branches in the tree need to be reordered, say the
authors of study in Evolution and Development.

The researchers, led by paleontologist Feng Tang of the Chinese Academy
of Geological Sciences in Beijing, believe that Eoandromeda is the
ancient ancestor of modern ocean dwellers known as comb
jellies--gelatinous creatures similar to jellyfish, but rounder and with
eight rows of iridescent paddles along their sides.
If they are right, it would be the oldest known fossil of a comb jelly.
And that would support a rewrite of the animal tree.
Read more:
http://ow.ly/6nHZH

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