SCIENTISTS FINALLY FIND WHERE A STARFISH KEEPS ITS HEAD

Compelling research into their genes sheds light on the echinoderm’s enigmatic physiology

From their ability to regrow limbs to the conundrum of identifying where their bodies end and their heads begin, starfish are often at the centre of scientific intrigue. When it comes to that latter query, at least, scientists may finally have the answer.

Researchers from the University of Southampton are suggesting that, rather than their heads being part of their bodies, the entire bodies of starfish - and other echinoderms - are their heads.

Echinoderms, a group of animals that includes sea urchins and sand dollars, have a 'fivefold symmetric' body plan. That means their bodies can be divided into five matching sections.