David Gold specializes in molecular paleontology, an area of study that combines geological, genetic and developmental tools to study the early evolution of animal life. A biologist by training, he’s fascinated by the development of life systems over long time scales.

Is it possible to find a common set of genes for regeneration, that could unlock a new understanding of this process? A comparison of the expression of thousands of genes from six animals found little evidence of a core conserved trait, but does point to some new areas to investigate.

Paleontologists are getting a glimpse at life over a billion years in the past based on chemical traces in ancient rocks and the genetics of living animals. Research published in Nature Communications combines geology and genetics, showing how changes in the early Earth prompted a shift in how animals eat.