The mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) of Metazoa is a good model system for evolutionary
genomic studies and the availability of more than 1000 sequences provides an almost …

The genetic code evolved in two distinct phases. First, the'canonical'code emerged before
the last universal ancestor; subsequently, this code diverged in numerous nuclear and …

Taxonomic revision by molecular phylogeny is needed to categorize members of the genus
Echinococcus (Cestoda: Taeniidae). We have reconstructed the phylogenetic relationships …

The interrelationships of the flatworms (phylum Platyhelminthes) are poorly resolved despite
decades of morphological and molecular phylogenetic studies [1, 2]. The earliest-branching …

Deuterostomes comprise vertebrates, the related invertebrate chordates (tunicates and
cephalochordates) and three other invertebrate taxa: hemichordates, echinoderms and …

▪ Abstract Molecular tools have profoundly rearranged our understanding of metazoan
phylogeny. Initially based on the nuclear small ribosomal subunit (SSU or 18S) gene, recent …

Echinococcus felidis had been described in 1937 from African lions, but was later included
in Echinococcus granulosus as a subspecies or a strain. In the absence of any genetic …

Insight into the origin and early evolution of the animal phyla requires an understanding of
how animal groups are related to one another. Thus, we set out to explore animal phylogeny …

The rate of genome evolution varies significantly between species. Evidence is growing that
at least some of this variation is associated with species characteristics, such as body size …

The genetic code has been proposed to be a 'frozen accident,'but the discovery of
alternative genetic codes over the past four decades has shown that it can evolve to some …