Synopsis. Similar wing planform shapes have independently evolved in both hummingbirds and hawkmoths, indicating convergence. Functional analysis of bird w

Establishing a universal evolutionary timescale of nematodes has been complicated by their patchy fossil record and analytical limitations. Combining genomic data from 156 nematode species with fossil...

Exploring the limits of wing design in pterosaurs

Abstract. Wing evolution enabled insects to pioneer aerial niches, a key innovation driving their remarkable radiation. However, interordinal relationships

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You will contribute to a range of education-related activities. In addition you will be expected to demonstrate academic citizenship, developing and maintaining mutually respectful and supportive work...

Abstract. Morphological disparity, reflecting the breadth of phenotypic variation within clades, offers critical insights into evolutionary dynamics beyond

Here, the authors examine bird wing planform shape and functional performance using theoretical morphospace and phylomorphospace. They find that, in a sample of 1138 extant bird taxa, planform shape i...

Abstract. Ants, Formicidae, are a group of small social insects that inhabit nearly all terrestrial environments. Three competing hypotheses of ant relatio

Abstract. We’ve all been there: 11.47, swamped by a long stretch of dense scientific talks at a conference. Six slides into a hyper-technical presentation,

The figure presents a model of Moythomasia and a schematic histological model illustrating the internal structure and features of the cranial bones. These include bone (brown), osteocyte spaces (red)...

Galeaspids are an extinct group of jawless armored fishes that are integral to understanding the origin of anatomical innovations of jawed vertebrates. Resolving the nature of the jawless ancestor of ...

ALT: a woman says " would you like to join us " with her eyes closed

Sponges have a cryptic Ediacaran history because ancestral sponges were soft-bodied and had low fossilization potential.

Evolution of chondrichthyan jaw morphology, from ecological generalists to specialists

This fellowship is for non-UK scientists who are at an early stage of their research career and wish to conduct research in the UK.

Analysis of eukaryotic gene sequences using a relaxed molecular clock methodology indicate that eukaryotes emerged 3.0–2.25 billion years ago as a result of mitochondrial endosymbiosis with complex ar...

Combining fossil-based and molecular calibrations with data on horizontal gene transfer events, the authors develop a time-calibrated phylogeny of Fungi. This timescale, which integrates analytic uncertainties, suggests an older age of crown Fungi (1,401–896 million years ago), as well as a minimum age for ancient interactions involving fungi and the algal ancestors of embryophytes in terrestrial ecosystems (1,253–797 Ma).

The evolution of wings and flapping flight was integral to the radiation of Pterygota, but little is known about the factors underpinning the morphological disparity of insect wings. We use a theoreti...

The timing of the origin of crown-angiosperms exemplifies the impact of competing approaches to establishing evolutionary timescales. Fossils of unequivocal crown-angiosperms are not known from before...

The study of the origins and evolution of multicellularity in different lineages has recently captured the attention of many research groups and is fueling the generation of numerous innovative resea…

Rangeomorphs are some of the oldest complex macroscopic fossil organisms. Here, the authors describe a population of rangeomorphs with two, spindle-shaped fronds from Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, mod...