Ctenophore identified as oldest living creature, solving tree of life mystery.
Scientists have identified the most recent ancestor of the sister to all animals via the novel use of chromosomal analysis, settling a central question about the evolution of the entire tree of animal life. The study has resolved the long-running debate over whether sea sponges or comb jellies are most closely related to the sister group. The team found 14 groups of genes that appeared on separate chromosomes in comb jellies and their single-celled, non-animal relatives, indicating that they are descendants of the sister group that broke from the animal family tree before the mixing occurred.
