A genome analysis of Xenoturbella bocki provides insights into the biology of this enigmatic marine worm and enhances our understanding of early bilaterian evolution.

Different species-level characteristics and sociocultural factors influence scientific and societal interest in biodiversity, with important implications for species-level conservation and dissemination.

Hypotheses on brain homologies between insects and vertebrates are tested by comparing gene expression patterns from flies and beetles with those from vertebrates at early neuroectoderm stages.

Interest in the ecology, biology and evolution of amphioxus is growing, and the availability of several species is helping to improve our understanding of chordate evolution.

Understanding novel cell types and their evolutionary history is re-evaluated using single nuclei transcriptomic approaches and their inferred underlying gene regulatory networks.

A new screening strategy for divergent homologs of insect odorant and gustatory receptors, based upon predicted three-dimensional structural similarity, unexpectedly identifies candidates in humans.

Expression patterns and biophysical properties of acid-sensing ion channels in numerous bilaterian animals offer insight into the deployment of ion channels by the evolving nervous system in complex animals.

Cryo-electron microscopy reveals previously undescribed structural features of choanoflagellate flagella and provides new insights into flagellar evolution.

Phylogenomics of sea urchins clarifies their origins and diversification history, reveals surprising discrepancies with their rich fossil record, and serves as basis to explore the sensitivity of time calibration analysis.