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multicellularity
Latest Articles
Can New Species Evolve From Cancers? Maybe. Here’s How.
Researchers agree it’s a long shot, but transmissible cancers could theoretically evolve into independent species. Certain weird parasites might be living proof.
Scientists Debate the Origin of Cell Types in the First Animals
Theories about how animals became multicellular are shifting as researchers find greater complexity in our single-celled ancestors.
Life’s Secrets Sought in a Snowflake
A single genetic change and some clever geometry show how single-celled organisms can band together to form cooperative multicellular entities.
Where Animals Come From
Bacteria may have helped single-celled organisms make the leap to multicellular animals.
Debating the Evolution of Multicellularity
An interview with the developmental biologist Cassandra Extavour on the origins of multicellular organisms and the evolution of cooperation.