480-million-year-old fossils reveal sea lilies' ancient roots

Sea lilies, despite their name, aren't plants. They're animals related to starfish and sea urchins, with long feathery arms resting atop a stalk that keeps them anchored to the ocean floor. Sea lilies have been around for ...

Escalating arms race: Predatory sea urchins drive evolution

(Phys.org) -- Nature teems with examples of evolutionary arms races between predators and prey, with the predator species gradually evolving a new mode of attack for each defensive adaptation that arises in the prey species.

New starfish-like fossil reveals evolution in action

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have discovered a fossil of the earliest starfish-like animal, which sheds light on the origins of the nimble-armed creature. The prototype starfish, which has features in common ...

Urged on by urchins: How sea lilies got their get-up-and-go

Nature abounds with examples of evolutionary arms races. Certain marine snails, for example, evolved thick shells and spines to avoid be eaten, but crabs and fish foiled the snails by developing shell-crushing claws and jaws.

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