Body blueprint genes corresponding with an animal’s “head” exist throughout starfish, whereas those linked to torsos and limbs are absent
. Most animals are “bilaterians,” having two roughly symmetrical sides divided by an invisible line running from head to tail. Starfish, however, are echinoderms—animals with lines of symmetry radiating out from a center point, like spokes on a wheel. Echinoderms evolved from bilaterian ancestors, meaning at some point they gave up on bilateral symmetry in favor of radial symmetry. Bilaterians’ genes dictate their head-to-tail configuration.
What this means is that, according to the genes behind their body plans, starfish and other echinoderms are “mostly head-like animals,” the researchers note. That raises questions about why some animals kept symmetrical limbs and others evolved to become just a head. The team hopes to find out by continuing to investigate the body blueprints of starfish cousins such as urchins and sea cucumbers.
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