The Earliest Animals Had Human-Like Genes

Species evolve at very different rates, and the evolutionary line that produced humans seems to be among the slowest. The result, according to a new study by scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), is that our species has retained characteristics of a very ancient ancestor that have been lost in more quickly-evolving animals. This overturns a commonly-held view of the nature of genes in the first animals. The work appears in the current issue of the journal Science. For more information please click "here":[ http://www.bio.com/newsfeatures/newsfeatures_research.jhtml?cid=15000003].

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