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Science 3 March 2000:
Vol. 287. no. 5458, pp. 1576 - 1579
DOI: 10.1126/science.287.5458.1576
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EVOLUTION
In Search of Vertebrate Origins: Beyond Brain and Bone

Carl Zimmer

In the past few years, work in several different disciplines has converged to provide a surprising new picture of the transition from invertebrate to vertebrate, a picture that upsets some previous ideas. Melding genes, neurons, and fossils, this new synthesis suggests that the evolution of the vertebrate brain may have had a surprisingly early start in invertebrate ancestors, long before the evolution of the mineralized skeleton that makes most vertebrates so distinctive. The true innovation that launched the lineage seems to have been new kinds of embryonic tissue, which could form new sensory organs, allowing protovertebrates to embark on a new way to make a living--as predators.

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
The single AmphiTrk receptor highlights increased complexity of neurotrophin signalling in vertebrates and suggests an early role in developing sensory neuroepidermal cells.
E. Benito-Gutierrez, C. Nake, M. Llovera, J. X. Comella, and J. Garcia-Fernandez (2005)
Development 132, 2191-2202
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The cephalic neural crest provides pericytes and smooth muscle cells to all blood vessels of the face and forebrain.
H. Etchevers, C Vincent, N. Le Douarin, and G. Couly (2001)
Development 128, 1059-1068
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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)