New genes for new biology in animal evolution

尽管寒武纪的爆炸是几个相互交织的因素的结果，但如果没有分子进化，就不可能发生寒武纪爆炸。遗传多样性是今天观察到的生命多样性的部分原因。尽管如此，目前对进化新基因的起源、功能和重要性的了解有限，主要是因为缺乏先前可用的数据。该项目旨在利用达尔文生命树项目公布的数据，利用生物信息学和实验室方法，进一步了解上述因素与动物进化和表型的关系。该项目的目的是特别关注鳞翅目、哺乳纲和双翅目的物种，并比较它们之间的结果。这些发现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内的发育异常及其可能产生的原因。

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.