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Science and Nature
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Changing Seas

Sponges: Oldest Creatures in the Sea?

Produced by South Florida PBS, Changing Seas gives viewers a fish-eye view of life in the deep blue. Join scientists as they study earth’s last frontier and discover the mysteries of our liquid planet.

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Sponges: Oldest Creatures in the Sea?

Season 8 Episode 801 | 26m 43s | CC

Recent DNA research has cast doubt on the theory that sponges were the first animals to branch off the “Animal Tree of Life,” a kind of family tree for all living and extinct animals on earth. Recently, some scientists are suggesting that ctenophores, also known as comb jellies, are an older lineage.

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Major funding for this program was provided by the Batchelor Foundation, encouraging people to preserve and protect America’s underwater resources. Additional funding was provided by Diver’s Direct/Emocean Sports, inspiring the pursuit of adventure and water sports; In Memory of Harriet Fagan, the Do Unto Others Trust, and The William J. McKeehan Foundation. Distributed by American Public Television.

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