[1] Sponges, known scientifically as Porifera, are the oldest metazoans and are used to elucidate the basics of multicellular evolution.

[2] As members of the oldest phylum of metazoans, Suberites serve as model organisms to elucidate features of the earliest animals.

[5] Among other things, Suberites show that tyrosine-phosphorylation machinery evolved in animals independently from other eukaryotes.

[2] Suberites are also used as models to elucidate the evolution of transmembrane receptors and cell-junction proteins.

[10] S. carnosus lives in the Indian Ocean and in the Mediterranean Sea and can also be found in Irish waters.

[8] Symbiotic bacteria produce toxins, such as okadaic acid, which defend them from colonization by parasitic annelids.

[17] Researchers in China and Germany have found that sponge spicules contribute to their neural communication.

[18] In effect, the silicaceous structures act as fiber optic cables to convey light signals generated from the protein luciferase.

However, maintenance of long-lived cells involves proteins such as SDLAGL that are highly similar to yeast and human homologs.

[23][24][25] Suberites undergo cell differentiation through a variety of mechanisms based on cell-cell communication.

[27][28][29] Whereas higher animal skeletons are largely calcium-based, sponge spicules consist mostly of silica, a silicon dioxide polymer.

Suberites show the cytokine-like molecule allograft inflammatory factor one (AIF-1), which is similar to vertebrate AIF-1.

[21] Despite the efficiency of their immune systems, Suberites can be susceptible to infection which often stimulates cell death through apoptotic pathways.

[37] The neurotoxic properties of suberitine arise from its ability to block action potentials.

[39] The sponge itself neutralizes the toxin through a pathway that is not fully understood, but involves retinal, a β-carotene metabolite.