Advocates of non-Porifera-first theories have made a pretty strong case that the similarities are more analogy than homology, that this is a classic case of convergent evolution. The Porifera-first people have responded by studying a broader range of choanoflagellates and studying their gene expression and development in more detail. read more
A new study reaffirms that sponges are the oldest animal phylum – and restores the classical view of early animal evolution, which recent molecular analyses had challenged. read more