This episode is with Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo, whose research sheds light on one of the most fundamental transitions in the history of life—the evolution of multicellularity. Iñaki is a group leader at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona, where he investigates how unicellular organisms gave rise to complex multicellular life. Our conversation explores the deep evolutionary forces that shaped this transition, the role of cooperation and cell differentiation, and what studying the ancestors of animals can teach us about life’s complexity. We also discuss broader questions about biological organization, individuality, and the very nature of what it means to be a multicellular being.Guests info:Website: https://multicellgenome.com/X: https://x.com/multicellgenomeEpisode links: Website: https://reasonwithscience.com/how-animals-evolved-with-inaki-ruiz-trilloYoutube: https://youtu.be/DgVuuAnYZpY?si=aH4Ti4uiomMaGW6dSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/054J6Lj4xqvw7h3oNzAis1?si=Ad4rVvgSRTumw_BwPaLSlQApple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-animals-evolved-with-i%C3%B1aki-ruiz-trillo-reason/id1641776894?i=1000697174412YouTube music: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=DgVuuAnYZpY&si=cCfR2juq00UjCfKCFollow Reason with Science: Website: https://www.reasonwithscience.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReasonwithScience Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qFLGsPWjL4GAGidmF2nKh Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/reason-with-science/id1641776894 YouTube music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLila1Jm-QEwKu4xXtNpYFAsSDmPR9mlZB&si=5ehXeZhZ-z181G5bTimestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction 00:00:20 - Evolution of multicellularity with Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo 00:02:54 - Why compare animals with unicellular relatives? 00:05:11 - What defines multicellularity? 00:09:07 - Studying unicellular ancestors of animals 00:14:19 - Convergent vs. homologous evolution 00:22:26 - Why did multicellularity evolve? 00:27:53 - What did the first animals look like? 00:30:55 - Bilateral symmetry and its impact 00:33:27 - Predation, competition, and cooperation in evolution 00:39:09 - Comparing different multicellular lineages 00:52:22 - Searching for new unicellular relatives 01:03:30 - Experimenting with multicellular growth 01:07:08 - Can we fully understand the origin of animals? 01:09:47 - Closing remarks

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