In a groundbreaking study, researchers have discovered that no two worms are alike, challenging the traditional understanding of chronobiology, the study of biological rhythms in living organisms. This finding has significant implications for our understanding of the genetic diversity and evolution of these creatures.
The study, published in the journal Nature, analyzed the genomes of two marine worm species, *Ptychodera flava* and *Saccoglossus kowalevskii*, and compared them with genomic data from a range of diverse animals. The researchers found 8,716 gene families, or sets of similar genes, in the acorn worms that are shared across all deuterostomes. These genes were particularly interesting to the scientists, as they could be linked to gill development in deuterostomes, including humans.
The discovery that no two worms are alike challenges the traditional understanding of chronobiology, which assumes that biological rhythms are similar across all individuals within a species. This finding suggests that there may be significant genetic variation in the biological rhythms of worms, which could have implications for our understanding of the evolution of these creatures.