Pond scum and the gene pool: One critical gene in green algae responsible for multicellular evolution, understanding of cancer origin

A single gene is responsible for the evolution of multicellular organisms, new research indicates. Scientists were looking for what caused single-celled organisms to evolve into multicellular organisms when they discovered the importance of a single gene, retinoblastoma, or RB. RB, known for being defective in cancer patients, is a critical gene necessary for multicellular life; previous theories have indicated that multiple genes might be responsible for multicellularity.