Astrid Schuster

The paper reconciles molecular and fossil evidence by showing sponges emerged in the early Ediacaran without spicules, which evolved independently multiple times later.

This study uses a Bayesian framework to analyze fossil data and identify extinction events and environmental influences on demosponge diversity throughout the Phanerozoic.

The paper provides metagenomic data and preliminary genome assemblies for the sponge Halichondria panicea and its microbial symbionts, highlighting the limitations of current sequencing approaches.