480-million-year-old fossils reveal sea lilies` ancient roots
(PHYSorg.com Archaeology & Fossils)

Sea lilies, despite their name, aren`t plants. They`re animals related to starfish and sea urchins, with long feathery arms resting atop a stalk that keeps them anchored to the ocean floor. Sea lilies have been around for at least 480 million years-they first evolved hundreds of millions of years before the dinosaurs. For nearly two centuries, scientists have thought about how modern sea lilies evolved from their ancient ancestors. In a new study in the Journal of Paleontology, researchers are rewriting the sea lily family tree, aided by newly-discovered fossils that help show how these animals` arms evolved.