Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology

Tongue bite apparatus highlights functional innovation in a 310-million-year-old ray-finned fish

This paper describes the oldest known tongue bite apparatus in a 310-million-year-old ray-finned fish, highlighting functional innovation in early actinopterygians.

EVOLUTIONARY ASSEMBLY OF CROWN REPTILE ANATOMY CLARIFIED BY LATE PALEOZOIC RELATIVES OF NEODIAPSIDA

Synchrotron microtomography and a 167-taxon phylogenetic matrix place Millerettidae as sister to Neodiapsida (forming Parapleurota), dismantling Parareptilia and Eureptilia while dating tympanic hearing to the middle Permian.

A pancrustacean brain and its visual systems define a Cambrian great appendage arthropod.

This paper describes the neural anatomy of Jianfengia multisegmentalis, a Cambrian stem euarthropod, and shows its similarities to modern Pancrustacea.

A new tuna specimen (Genus Auxis) from the Duho Formation (Miocene) of South Korea

The paper describes a new tuna specimen from the Miocene Duho Formation in South Korea, assigned to the genus Auxis, and discusses its paleoenvironmental implications.

An extinct clade sister to Eumetazoa: On the phylogeny of the Cambrian chancelloriids

This study describes new fossils of chancelloriids, revealing their unique body plan and suggesting they are a basal clade sister to eumetazoans.

Iridescent structural coloration in a crested Cretaceous enantiornithine bird from Jehol Biota

The paper estimates the iridescent color range of a Cretaceous bird's crest feathers using fossil melanosome structure and modeling, suggesting a signaling and behavioral function.

Study of the variability of Pterosaur tracks from the Jurassic and Cretaceous of Spain using geometric morphometrics: a new insight on their ichnotaxonomy and anatomical implications.

This study uses geometric morphometrics to analyze pterosaur handprint variability in Spain, finding continuous shape variation without distinct ichnogenera.

The lower jaw of Devonian ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii): anatomy, relationships, and functional morphology

This study examines the lower jaw morphology of Devonian ray-finned fishes using XCT, revealing new anatomical data and functional diversity.

A Portrait of a Young Fish: Redescription of Pteronisculus gunnari (Nielsen, 1942) from a juvenile specimen from the Early Triassic of East Greenland, with implications for ontogenetic development in early actinopterygians

This paper redescribes a juvenile specimen of Pteronisculus gunnari, revealing new anatomical features and insights into ontogenetic development in early actinopterygians.

The tetrapod fauna of the upper Permian Naobaogou Formation of China: a new mid-sized pareiasaur Yinshanosaurus angustus gen. et sp. nov. and its implication for the phylogenetic relationship of pareiasaurs

This study describes a new pareiasaur species, Yinshanosaurus angustus, from the upper Permian of China and provides new insights into the phylogenetic relationships of pareiasaurs.

An extraordinary larval-like teleost fish from the Eocene of Bolca

The paper describes a new fossil fish species from the Eocene, highlighting its unique larval-like features and its placement within teleost diversity.

Cryptovaranoides is not a squamate

This paper challenges the classification of the fossil Cryptovaranoides microlanius as a crown squamate, highlighting issues with the morphological analysis supporting this claim.

Reassessment of body temperature and thermoregulation strategies in Mesozoic marine reptiles

This paper reassesses body temperatures and thermoregulation strategies of Mesozoic marine reptiles using oxygen isotope data, finding ichthyosaurs were homeothermic endotherms, plesiosaurs likely poikilothermic endotherms, and metriorhynchids poikilothermic with limited endothermy.

3D Focused Ion Beam Microscopy of Fossilized Albertosaurus sarcophagus reveals Nano to Microscale Structures

This study uses 3D FIB-SEM to examine fossilized Albertosaurus sarcophagus bone, revealing preserved collagen fibril structures and new mineral clusters over 70 million years.

THE FUNCTION AND EVOLUTION OF STEGOSAUR OSTEODERMS AND HYPOTHESIZED SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN HESPEROSAURUS

This paper reevaluates stegosaur osteoderm variation, provides statistical support for sexual dimorphism in Hesperosaurus, and proposes an evolutionary model linking osteoderm function to sexual selection and predation pressure.

Correlated evolution of the neck, head and forelimb across the theropod-bird transition

This study examines the co-evolution of neck, head, and forelimb traits in theropods and birds, finding adaptive shifts and reduced evolutionary rates in birds.

A new metoposaurid (Temnospondyli) bonebed from the lower Popo Agie Formation (Carnian, Triassic) and an assessment of skeletal sorting in temnospondyls

Nobby Knob, a Carnian bonebed in Wyoming's lower Popo Agie Formation, records an autochthonous, weakly sorted mass mortality of the metoposaurid Buettnererpeton bakeri (MNI 19).

Three-dimensional fossils of a Cretaceous collared carpet shark (Parascylliidae, Orectolobiformes) shed light on skeletal evolution in galeomorphs

This paper describes three-dimensional Cretaceous shark fossils that provide insights into the skeletal evolution of galeomorph sharks.

The influence of soft tissue volume on estimates of skeletal pneumaticity: implications for fossil archosaurs

The paper compares estimated air space proportion (ASP) with true air space proportion (ASPt) in birds, finding ASPt is significantly lower, highlighting the need to account for soft tissue volume in skeletal pneumaticity studies.

Convincing Evidence of Carnivorous Diet in Alvarezsaurian Dinosaur

The paper presents the first direct dietary evidence for alvarezsaurians, showing carnivorous diet through analysis of fossilized intestinal contents.

Towards a comprehensive anatomical matrix for crown birds: phylogenetic insights from the pectoral girdle and forelimb skeleton

This study identifies phylogenetically informative characters in the pectoral girdle and forelimb skeleton of extant birds, highlighting challenges in morphological phylogenetics and the utility of combining morphology with molecular data.

Developmentally Incomplete Barb Rami Increased the Morphological Diversity of Early Feathers

The paper analyzes feather morphology from Burmese amber, showing developmentally incomplete barb rami in early feathers, suggesting morphological diversity due to unstable tissue differentiation.

Unique dental arrangement in a new species of Groenlandaspis (Placodermi, Arthrodire) from the Middle Devonian of Mount Howitt, Victoria, Australia

The paper describes a new species of placoderm, Groenlandaspis howittensis, from the Middle Devonian of Australia, highlighting unique dental and skeletal features.

Classification of dinosaur footprints using machine learning

The paper trains machine learning models to classify dinosaur footprints as ornithopods or theropods using 20 landmark features, finding that MLP performs best with class imbalance.

New soft tissue data of pterosaur tail vane reveals sophisticated, dynamic tensioning usage and expands its evolutionary origins

This study reveals a dynamic tensioning system in early pterosaur tail vanes using Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence imaging, showing how stiffness was maintained for flight control and display.

A new stegosaur (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Upper Jurassic Qigu Formation of Xinjiang, China and a revision on Chinese stegosaurs phylogeny

The paper describes a new stegosaur species from China and revises the phylogeny of Chinese stegosaurs.

Ground nesting of soft eggs by extinct birds and a new parity mode switch hypothesis for the evolution of animal reproduction

Ventral Morphology and Ecological Implications of Cindarella eucalla (Artiopoda, Xandarellida) from Chengjiang Biota, China

This study reconstructs the morphology of Cindarella eucalla using X-ray computed tomography and fluorescent microscopy, revealing features that suggest it lived in muddy, light-filled environments and had escape capabilities.

Calculating Muscular Driven Speed Estimates for Tyrannosaurus

This study calculates muscular-driven top speed estimates for Tyrannosaurus rex specimens using biomechanical data and allometric equations, finding speeds ranging from 7.7 to 14.5 m/s.

Micro-CT Based Description of Dorsetichthys bechei (Actinopterygii: Teleostei): Cranial Anatomy of an Iconic Early Teleost

This paper describes new anatomical features of Dorsetichthys bechei using micro-CT scans, clarifying its relationships and ecology within early teleosts.