For more than a century, most evidence suggested that sponges, immobile filter-feeders that lack muscles, neurons and other ...

Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto. Achoo!

If you imagine the earliest animals on Earth, you might picture something simple but sturdy. Maybe a sponge-like creature ...

When the first sponge genomes were sequenced in the early 2000s, researchers were surprised to find that sponges not only have roughly as many genes as humans and other complex creatures but also have ...

Although cold waters aren't known for their coral reefs, they do contain ecologically important "glass reefs" created by live sponges. Now, scientists have discovered a previously unknown species of ...

Sponges lack a signaling pathway that responds to low intracellular oxygen levels in more complex animals. Do they use a different mechanism for this purpose or did their earliest ancestors evolve at ...

Bristol scientists discover early sponges were soft Press release issued: 8 January 2026 Sponges are among earth’s most ancient animals, but exactly when they evolved has long puzzled scientists.

Simple organisms such as the sponge appear very different from complex animals, but new research shows that this simple ancient species may have given rise to all modern day animals. An Adult Sponge ...

Sponges are filter feeders that live on particulate matter - but they can also ingest microscopic fragments of plastics and other pollutants of anthropogenic origin. They can therefore serve as useful ...