Barreiros, João PedroAguilar-Perera, AlfonsoBarcelos, LuísAnderson, AntônioBeheregaray, AndersonDíaz-Ferguson, Edgardo2026-02-112026-02-112026-02-05Barreiros, J. P., Aguilar-Perera, A., Anderson, A. B., Barcelos, L. M., Beheregaray, L. B., & Díaz-Ferguson, E. (2026). Ineffective marine protected areas in Azores. Science, 391(6785), 564-5640036-8075http://hdl.handle.net/10400.3/8873ABSTRACT: On 13 November 2025, Science published the Research Article “Integrative phylogenomics positions sponges at the root of the animal tree” by Jacob L. Steenwyk and Nicole King (1). The authors alerted us that errors in the analysis pipeline had affected the results to an extent that they are no longer reliable. Two aspects of the data analysis introduced artifacts. First, an imbalance between the number of sponges and ctenophores in the dataset biased one of the scoring metrics, thereby influencing the outcomes. Second, part of the analysis involved collapsing internal nodes, which was not properly accommodated by the software used. The authors thank Casey W. Dunn and colleagues for bringing this to their attention, as detailed in an eLetter and in Steenwyk and King’s eLetter Response, both available at https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science. adw9456#elettersSection. Given these issues, both authors have requested a Retraction. Science is therefore retracting the Research Article.engBiodiversity protectionMarine ecosystemsreview article10.1126/science.aed76071095-9203