Placozoans, a type of blob-like animal, are the simplest animals on the planet. They have no organs or brain, but they can coordinate their cells to attack prey. Researchers believe that placozoans may provide insights into the origin of neurons, which transmit human thought.
Placozoans can multiply asexually indefinitely and can be reconfigured into different shapes. They are made up of two simple layers of similar cells, stuck together like two slices of cheese.
Researchers studied the four known species of placozoans cell by cell and found that some of their cells can send messages using molecules called neuropeptides, like the neurons in the human brain. This suggests that placozoans may have a rudiment of the human nervous system.
These findings could shed light on how single-cell organisms came together to form increasingly sophisticated multicellular beings.sharemore_vertadd_photo_alternate
