DSSS - Evolutionary novelty across scales: from genes to germ lines

Animals are capable of an astonishing array of complex biology that appears absent in single celled organisms. Where did the genes that generate this complexity come from, and how did they become integrated into functional genetic regulatory programs to direct multicellular development and reproduction? Some of these genes were present in the single-celled eukaryotic ancestors of animals, but others appear entirely novel, with no closely related genes found in other animals. We discuss the results of applying different lenses to this problem, including computational, molecular genetic, and ecological approaches to understanding the origins and functional consequences of genetic novelty.