Studies looking at how sponges have evolved on a molecular level have suggested that spicules should be present over 700 ...

The new order of sponges, Vilesida, was uncovered after careful research into sponges from diverse marine environments. For decades, sponges have confounded biologists with their deceptive simplicity, ...

A team of scientists digging up some of the Earth’s oldest rocks has uncovered new chemical evidence that Earth’s first animals were likely ancestors of the modern sea sponge. The discovery relies on ...

For decades, scientists have debated which animals first appeared on Earth and set the stage for the evolution of complex life. A recent study by MIT geochemists offers compelling evidence that the ...

Sponges are among earth’s most ancient animals, but exactly when they evolved has long puzzled scientists. Genetic information from living sponges, as well as chemical signals from ancient rocks, ...

Scientists refine the timeline of sponge origins, showing soft-bodied ancestors likely evolved later than some chemical ...