Davide Pisani

The paper reconciles molecular and fossil evidence by showing sponges emerged in the early Ediacaran without spicules, which evolved independently multiple times later.

The paper identifies 39 gene families consistently expressed in neurons across eight animal species and finds one unique family linked to nervous systems.

This paper uses machine learning and phylogenetic reconciliation to estimate the evolutionary timeline of Bacteria, linking transitions to aerobic lifestyles to the Great Oxidation Event.

Chromosome-scale inshore hagfish genome places 1R before the cyclostome-gnathostome split and 2R in the gnathostome stem, and reveals two cyclostome-specific duplications (CR1, CR2).

The paper identifies composite gene families in animals, showing they emerge abruptly at major evolutionary nodes and are independently evolved in multiple clades.

This study reconstructs the evolutionary history of opsin genes in Dipteran species, revealing lineage-specific expansions and duplications, and contrasting evolutionary dynamics between Anopheles and Drosophila.