New genes for new biology in animal evolution

尽管寒武纪大爆发是几个相互交织的因素的结果，但如果没有分子进化，寒武纪大爆发是不可能发生的。遗传多样性对今天所观察到的生命多样性负有部分责任。尽管如此，对进化新基因的起源、功能和重要性的理解目前是有限的，主要是由于缺乏先前可用的数据。本项目旨在利用生物信息学和实验室方法，利用达尔文生命之树项目公布的数据，进一步了解上述因素与动物进化和表型的关系。这个项目的目的是特别关注鳞翅目、哺乳目和双翅目的物种，并比较它们之间的结果。研究结果可能有助于理解哪些基因调节特定的发育过程，从而产生上述物种的表型，甚至可能有助于理解生物体的发育异常及其如何产生。

Despite being the result of several intertwined factors, the Cambrian Explosion could not have taken place without molecular evolution. Genetic diversity is partly responsible for the diversity of life observed today. Despite this, the understanding of the origin, function, and importance of evolutionary novel genes is currently limited, primarily due to the lack of previously available data. This project aims to use bioinformatic and laboratory methods to utilise the data published by the Darwin Tree of Life project, to further understand how the above factors relate to animal evolution and phenotype. This project aims to focus specifically on species within the Lepidoptera, Mammalia and Bilateria and compare results between them. Findings may assist in understanding which genes regulate specific developmental processes to give rise to the phenotypes of the aforementioned species and may even assist in understanding developmental abnormalities in living organisms and how they may arise.