Ancient Blueprint For Human Bodies Discovered in Sea Anemones

By Michael Irving – ScienceAlert

Sea anemones may look alien, but scientists just found out they’re hiding an ancient body ‘blueprint’ – one that most animals, including humans, still follow. The discovery could shake up the timeline of evolution.

You might not be familiar with the term ‘bilaterian,’ although you are one. These are creatures with a body plan that’s symmetrical along a single plane: from worms to whales, ants to elephants, and humans to hummingbirds.

Another major animal body plan is radial symmetry, meaning these creatures organize their bodies around a central axis. Picture a jellyfish, and then try to figure out which side is the ‘front’, and you’ll likely understand.