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What's fascinating is that finding new animal phyla is apparently something that has happened a few times in the last century, and they aren't able to place this creature into a phyla yet - it's close to a jellyfish and comb jellies, but not close enough to be included in the Cnidaria or Ctenophora phylum.


I don't deny the importance of the finding. Bilateria and non-bilateria are huge groups in the animal kingdom and if this animal doesn't fit in one of them is really something.

But (for now, without ADN analysis) it's just a new structure plan. I just find the title about "a new branch of life" a little sensationalist :)


I think the article was using "branch" colloquially, rather than in some technical sense. And it's saying "may be" rather than "is".


The problem is that it's an exaggeration like: "New article title may be a new branch of linkbait art"

A better title is "Deep sea 'mushroom' may be new branch of animals" or "Deep sea 'mushroom' may be new branch of animal kingdom".

I'm still not 100% happy with the proposed title, but it's more realistic. One of the problems is that it's not a mushroom nor mushroom related. It's only a weird animal with a strange shape that looks like a mushroom.




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