An ancient gene is crucial for the development of the distinctive waist that divides the spider body plan in two, according to a study published August 29 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Emily Setton from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US, and colleagues. An ancient gene is crucial for the development of the distinctive waist that divides the spider body plan in two, according to a study published August 29 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Emily Setton from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, US, and colleagues. Plants & Animals Molecular & Computational biology Phys.org – latest science and technology news stories