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The basic idea behind the theory of evolution behind natural selection is this: if you get eaten or otherwise die before you’ve had the chance to reproduce then your genes, or traits, don’t get passed on. It’s a dead end. But if you survive… some of your traits get passed down to a new generation. Maybe you were just a bit faster than the other wildebeest. Maybe your coloration gave you better camouflage than some of the rest. Who knows? It could be a ton of things. The point is, over time, these little changes in the proportion of traits will add up to big changes, maybe even entirely new species!

There’s a misconception out there though related to this idea called Survival of the Fittest. That evolution works through the survival of the strongest, fastest, toughest, meanest of the bunch and that things get stronger, faster, tougher, and meaner over time. Thing is, that’s just not true. Problematic associations aside, that idea doesn’t explain the persistence of seemingly useless traits, or the loss of seemingly useful traits, or traits that simply don’t change for millions of years at a time. Sometimes, things persist simply because there’s no pressure for them not to. Sometimes, things just work.

In the case of sponges, there’s the Demo Model

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In October 2020, Ocean Exploration Trust’s E/V Nautilus crew discovered something extraordinary—vast clusters of glass sponges

Glass sponges in general are a rare sight, but what made this discovery even more surprising is where they were found.

Beginning just 25 miles off the coast of California, The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is a 1,470 square mile refuge for wildlife as well as a human heritage site. 

Regions where the ocean floor can be found just 1,000 feet or so below, like Footprint Ridge and the Piggy Bank, have been pretty thoroughly explored.

But between those two sites lies a valley, plunging another thousand feet below. This time, in late 2020, the scientific team famous for their live-streaming of footage captured by ROV’s, decided to give that valley a closer look.

That’s when the NOAA experts, on Nautilus Live, stumbled upon a vast underwater field of glass.

Finds like these are becoming increasingly important as potential habitats for diverse life and as indicators of ocean health in a changing world.

But, aside from the obviously fascinating fact that these creatures have skeletons made of glass, what exactly are these so-called glass sponges?

That’s what this episode of Class is all about, the art of glass.

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This season on Class, a deep dive into the amazing life history of sponges. starting with getting to the bottom of what exactly a sponge is!

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So far in the How to Build an Animal series, we’ve been taking a look at the very things that make an animal, well, an animal. In Part One we explored types of symmetry and got oriented with the directions of cephalization. In Part Two we dove into the early development of animals, from fertilization to the gastrula. We also defined the early layers called the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm and hinted at their future by revealing what tissues they are responsible for developing into.

Each of these things has been a branching point on the tree of animal life. Now it’s time for another.

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There really is no shortage of ways to build an animal, but there are rules to be followed. To truly understand, we have to go to the very beginning. Check out Part 3 of my pre-kick-off series to my new zoology series, Class, and get oriented with the development of animal life.

Link to the amazingly spectacular video I mentioned

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There really is no shortage of ways to build an animal, but there are rules to be followed—rules with deep roots. Check out Part 2 of my pre-kick-off series to my new zoology series, Class, and get oriented with the basic body patterns of animal life.

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From the biggest elephant to the littlest fly. From every fish in the sea, to all the birds in the sky. 

Animals are all around us.

Dolphins are animals. Just like owls, salamanders, and the anoles in the tree. 

A salamander may not look like an owl, and an owl definitely doesn’t look like an elephant. Yet, even still, you can tell they are animals just by looking at them.

But why? What could all of these things possibly have in common? What makes an animal an animal?

What is an animal?

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