Article
Article
DISCLAIMER: This article is being kept online for historical purposes. Though accurate at last review, it is no longer being updated. The page may contain broken links or outdated information.
Paleogenomics and biocalcification
Article By:
Wörheide, Gert Department of Geobiology, Geoscience Centre Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Last reviewed:2009
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB090109
One of the main events in the evolution of animals was the transition from soft-bodied organisms to those that possessed mineralized hard parts for protection and support. This major evolutionary hallmark supported the rapid diversification of animals and their occupation of a diverse range of novel ecological niches at the dawn of the Phanerozoic, between 560 and 530 million years ago (MYA). The understanding of the evolution of genes and gene regulatory networks that enable and control the construction of mineralized body parts (biominerals) is therefore vital to the understanding of how animals, including humans, evolved and will also provide clues for the fabrication of biomimetic materials (that is, artificial materials designed to mimic natural forms).
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
