Arendt agrees that a new name is in order, but says that biologists do not have one prepared because they disagree about whether mouth and anus formation or another key innovation should be used to name the group.

Just as molecular techniques have revealed data that triggered revisions in cell biology, techniques to sequence genes and observe their activity are now challenging long-standing evolutionary scenarios. "At the turn of the twentieth century, embryologists drew what they saw. But their microscopes stunk and they didn't know about genes," Martindale says. "Now we're finally able to look closer, and we're finding that they're often wrong. But if you think about the tools they had, maybe it's more surprising that anything is right at all."

This article is reproduced with permission from the magazine Nature. The article was first published on October 26, 2012.

7 Comments

1. 1. Bird/tree/dinosaur/etc. geek 02:38 PM 10/26/12

   Very, very cool. Nice to see *Ottoia* mentioned in passing. Also, what's cooler than a six-inch worm with a protrusile pharynx that looks like huge penis?

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2. 2. Bird/tree/dinosaur/etc. geek 05:05 PM 10/26/12

   Not much of a caudal appendage on the *Priapulus* in the video, is there?

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3. 3. Medulla Oblongata 09:19 AM 10/27/12

   Best Headline Ever.

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4. 4. Bird/tree/dinosaur/etc. geek in reply to Medulla Oblongata 09:37 AM 10/27/12

   I concur. "Penis worm" normally wouldn't get past the censors.

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5. 5. Sawyer 08:30 PM 10/27/12

   I hope these biologists figure out the mouth/anus order soon! I know from experience that's not something you want to get backwards, especially when "priapulids" are involved. It just leaves a mess on your hands and a bad taste in your mouth.

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6. 6. greenhome123 06:43 PM 10/30/12

   Viva La Evolucion of the Penis Worm

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7. 7. Raoul 09:08 PM 11/1/12

   Raoul Now, What's first, Mouth or Anus?

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