Indirect development with an intermediate larva exists in all major animal lineages, which
makes larvae central to most scenarios of animal evolution,,,,,,,,–. Yet how larvae evolved …

Among non-bilaterian animals, a larval apical sensory organ with integrated neurons is only
found in cnidarians. Within cnidarians, an apical organ with a ciliary tuft is mainly found in …

Spiralians, one of the major clades of bilaterians, share a unique development known as
spiralian development, characterized by the formation of tiers of cells called quartets, which …

The types of genomic change needed for environmental adaptation are of great interest.
Annelid worms are a large phylum found in a rich diversity of habitats, giving opportunities to …

Background The evolutionary origins of animal nervous systems remain contentious
because we still have a limited understanding of neural development in most major animal …

Transcription factors encoded by the Forkhead (Fox) gene family have diverse, sometimes
conserved, regulatory roles in eumetazoan development, immunity, and physiology …

Expansion and losses of gene families are important drivers of molecular evolution. A recent
survey of Fox genes in flatworms revealed that this superfamily of multifunctional …

Early animal development can be remarkably variable, influenced by lineage-specific
reproductive strategies and adaptations. Yet, early embryogenesis is also strikingly …

The majority of marine invertebrate animals possess a biphasic life cycle, consisting of a
dispersive, planktonic larval stage that settles and metamorphoses into a benthic juvenile …