Meet the 'Weird' Sea Spider that's Mapping the Evolution of Eight-Legged Creatures

Meet the 'weird' sea spider that's mapping the evolution of eight-legged creatures

It's not easy to look at a sea spider and see an animal so representative of its kind that it may help scientists sort out the evolution of almost everything with eight legs. But that's the potential a new study finds in these spindly, strikingly strange bottom-dwellers.

First-ever chromosome-level genome assembly of a sea spider

What the sea spider genome reveals about their bizarre anatomy? Continue reading First-ever chromosome-level genome assembly of a sea spider on Tech Explorist.

What the Sea Spider Genome Reveals About Their Bizarre Anatomy

An international collaboration featuring the University of Vienna and the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA) has led to the first-ever chromosome-level genome assembly of a sea spider (Pycnogonum litorale). The genome informs about the development of the characteristic sea spider body plan and constitutes a landmark for revealing the evolutionary history of chelicerates in general. The study was recently published in BMC Biology.