Divergent mechanics of inner ear morphogenesis are coupled to developmental tempo over vertebrate evolution
Shunya Kuroda, Shuhei A. Horiguchi, Soichiro Kato, Oki Hayasaka, Hiroyasu Kamei, Wataru Takagi, Shinnosuke Higuchi, Tatsuya Hirasawa, Koji Fujimura, Kiyoshi Hiraoka, Nanoka Suzuki, Makoto Suzuki, Hajime Ogino, Anna Yasunaga, Hiroshi Kiyonari, , Okuda Satoru
The paper examines inner ear morphogenesis across 12 vertebrate species, finding that divergent mechanical processes in tissue expansion are coordinated with developmental tempo to maintain conserved morphology.
bioRxiv · Feb 28, 2026 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology