whpearson comments on Existential Risk and Public Relations - Less Wrong

36 Post author: multifoliaterose 15 August 2010 07:16AM

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Comment author: whpearson 18 August 2010 06:03:34PM *  2 points [-]

This page on the history of invertebrates suggests that our common ancestors had bilateral symmetry, triploblastic and with hox genes.

Hox genes suggest that they both had a modular body plan of some sort. Triploblasty implies some complexity (the least complex triploblastic organism today is a flatworm).

I'd be very surprised if most recent common ancestor didn't have neurons similar to most neurons today, as I've had a hard time finding out the differences between the two. A basic introduction to nervous systems suggests they are very similar.