Scientists have long puzzled over whether sea stars have defined front and back ends, or if they even have heads at all. New genetic research suggests that sea stars are largely heads that lack torsos or tails. The discovery was made possible by advanced genetic sequencing methods, which revealed that sea stars have a unique body plan similar to the head of other animals. Sea stars are part of a group of animals called echinoderms, which have pentaradial body plans that differ from the bilateral body plans of most animals. The new findings could help answer questions about echinoderms’ shared ancestry with humans and other animals.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/02/world/starfish-head-body-plan-scn/index.html