«If we are to understand the evolution of certain key features of animals, such as their nervous systems, tissue organization and organs, we first have to clarify
the early phylogenetic relationships» Wörheide explains.
These include: 1) finding and describing new fossils in Precambrian strata, 2) using analytical tools to examine those fossils in order to determine taxonomic affinity, taphonomy, functional morphology, and paleoecology, 3) using modern analogs to determine
phylogenetic relationships and physiology of
early eukaryotes and animals, and 4) combining multiple sources of data to create a timeline of biotic and abiotic events in the Precambrian.