
Comb Jellies Crown the Earliest Split in the Animal Family Tree
New research used chromosome-level gene-order analysis to compare 14 gene groups in comb jellies, sea sponges, and closely related single-celled relatives. The patterns show conserved gene positions in comb jellies and non-animal relatives but greater genomic rearrangement in sponges, identifying comb jellies as the earliest animal branch and the sister lineage to all other animals, prompting a rethink of how key animal features evolved.






