Divergent expression and conserved function of Alx4 for limb development in amniotes https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13227-026-00275-9 #EvoDevo
September 28, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Divergent expression and conserved function of Alx4 for limb development in amniotes https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13227-026-00275-9 #EvoDevo
I was watching a bunch of these chase bugs and avoid birds yesterday.
In those days, these critters had wingspans of a couple of feet and would be munching on Amniotes and Tetrapods!
(birds too, if they had evolved yet)
In those days, these critters had wingspans of a couple of feet and would be munching on Amniotes and Tetrapods!
(birds too, if they had evolved yet)
September 27, 2026 at 8:05 PM
I was watching a bunch of these chase bugs and avoid birds yesterday.
In those days, these critters had wingspans of a couple of feet and would be munching on Amniotes and Tetrapods!
(birds too, if they had evolved yet)
In those days, these critters had wingspans of a couple of feet and would be munching on Amniotes and Tetrapods!
(birds too, if they had evolved yet)
So, the amniotes (mammals, reptiles) early on diverged into two lineages - synapsids (of which mammals are the only survivors) and sauropsids (reptiles, incl. birds, are survivors)
Sauropsids diverged into archelosaurs (turtles, crocodilians, dinosaurs) and lepidosaurs (lizards, snakes, tuatara)
Sauropsids diverged into archelosaurs (turtles, crocodilians, dinosaurs) and lepidosaurs (lizards, snakes, tuatara)
September 26, 2026 at 2:50 PM
So, the amniotes (mammals, reptiles) early on diverged into two lineages - synapsids (of which mammals are the only survivors) and sauropsids (reptiles, incl. birds, are survivors)
Sauropsids diverged into archelosaurs (turtles, crocodilians, dinosaurs) and lepidosaurs (lizards, snakes, tuatara)
Sauropsids diverged into archelosaurs (turtles, crocodilians, dinosaurs) and lepidosaurs (lizards, snakes, tuatara)
Result 4. Beneath all this divergence, the medial and lateral cortices retain the same organization. The most parsimonious interpretation is therefore that these regions were already present in the last common ancestor of amniotes.
September 18, 2026 at 8:32 AM
Result 4. Beneath all this divergence, the medial and lateral cortices retain the same organization. The most parsimonious interpretation is therefore that these regions were already present in the last common ancestor of amniotes.
The pallium is the region of the forebrain that ultimately gave rise to our neocortex. All amniotes have one: mammals 🐁, birds 🐥, and reptiles 🦎. But how it is subdivided, and which cell types build it, is still a matter of debate.
September 18, 2026 at 8:32 AM
The pallium is the region of the forebrain that ultimately gave rise to our neocortex. All amniotes have one: mammals 🐁, birds 🐥, and reptiles 🦎. But how it is subdivided, and which cell types build it, is still a matter of debate.
The evolution of neurons over the past 300 million years in endothermic terrestrial vertebrates & how this process enhanced human cognition: amniotes like reptiles lack internal heating ability, which enhanced neuron volume in birds & mammals…
September 15, 2026 at 2:39 PM
The evolution of neurons over the past 300 million years in endothermic terrestrial vertebrates & how this process enhanced human cognition: amniotes like reptiles lack internal heating ability, which enhanced neuron volume in birds & mammals…
Are human ghosts amniotes? 😂
September 15, 2026 at 2:17 AM
Are human ghosts amniotes? 😂
Interesting and openly accessible book on the alternative radiation of intelligent tetrapods and their brains: AKA birds or avian dinosaurs.
Apparently there is everything -- the phylogeny as well as scaling.
direct.mit.edu/books/oa-mon...
🧪 #EvoBio #Paleobio
Apparently there is everything -- the phylogeny as well as scaling.
direct.mit.edu/books/oa-mon...
🧪 #EvoBio #Paleobio
September 14, 2026 at 6:53 AM
Interesting and openly accessible book on the alternative radiation of intelligent tetrapods and their brains: AKA birds or avian dinosaurs.
Apparently there is everything -- the phylogeny as well as scaling.
direct.mit.edu/books/oa-mon...
🧪 #EvoBio #Paleobio
Apparently there is everything -- the phylogeny as well as scaling.
direct.mit.edu/books/oa-mon...
🧪 #EvoBio #Paleobio
Open Access UCL Research: Evolution of the reptile spine reveals independent trajectories to axial skeletal complexity in amniotes
discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10...
discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10...
Evolution of the reptile spine reveals independent trajectories to axial skeletal complexity in amniotes
-
UCL Discovery
UCL Discovery is UCL's open access repository, showcasing and providing access to UCL research outputs from all UCL disciplines.
discovery.ucl.ac.uk
September 11, 2026 at 1:01 PM
Open Access UCL Research: Evolution of the reptile spine reveals independent trajectories to axial skeletal complexity in amniotes
discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10...
discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10...
It's more than some, and it's pervasive enough that ichthyosaurs probably kept viviparity from their terrestrial ancestors.
Heads or tails first? Evolution of fetal orientation in ichthyosaurs, with a scrutiny of the prevailing hypothesis - BMC Ecology and Evolution
According to a longstanding paradigm, aquatic amniotes, including the Mesozoic marine reptile group Ichthyopterygia, give birth tail-first because head-first birth leads to increased asphyxiation risk...
link.springer.com
September 10, 2026 at 9:04 PM
It's more than some, and it's pervasive enough that ichthyosaurs probably kept viviparity from their terrestrial ancestors.
#ICVM2027 @isvmorph.bsky.social is shaping up! 11 Symposia and 3 Workshops are now formally accepted! This will be a don't-miss conference!
More details:
www.isvm-icvm.org
More details:
www.isvm-icvm.org
September 4, 2026 at 9:07 AM
#ICVM2027 @isvmorph.bsky.social is shaping up! 11 Symposia and 3 Workshops are now formally accepted! This will be a don't-miss conference!
More details:
www.isvm-icvm.org
More details:
www.isvm-icvm.org
previously seen - the first flying vertebrates, the first endotherms, and the first fully marine amniotes. Dinosaurs and endothermic true mammals both emerged out of this rebound, so the mammal-and-bird-dominated world we inhabit has its deep roots there. Similarly, after the end-Cretaceous
September 2, 2026 at 3:39 PM
previously seen - the first flying vertebrates, the first endotherms, and the first fully marine amniotes. Dinosaurs and endothermic true mammals both emerged out of this rebound, so the mammal-and-bird-dominated world we inhabit has its deep roots there. Similarly, after the end-Cretaceous
Reptilia goes from a waste-bin taxa of all cold-blooded amniotes to a diverse group of lizards, snakes, and the living fossil the tuatara, as well as a rich fossil history unrelated to dinosauria, including such titans of the seas as the mosasaurs.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosasaur
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosasaur
September 2, 2026 at 1:59 PM
Reptilia goes from a waste-bin taxa of all cold-blooded amniotes to a diverse group of lizards, snakes, and the living fossil the tuatara, as well as a rich fossil history unrelated to dinosauria, including such titans of the seas as the mosasaurs.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosasaur
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosasaur
A chief advantage of this system is that all the classes are monophyletic, and at the same time reflect important paths in the evolution of Amniotes.
September 2, 2026 at 1:59 PM
A chief advantage of this system is that all the classes are monophyletic, and at the same time reflect important paths in the evolution of Amniotes.
Class Mammalia, includes all mammals, only living members of clade Synapsida, a group going back to early in the evolution of Amniotes.
September 2, 2026 at 1:43 PM
Class Mammalia, includes all mammals, only living members of clade Synapsida, a group going back to early in the evolution of Amniotes.
it’ll probably grow over as she gets older, as with most other amniotes. after all, baby turtles have a prominent omphalos after they finally absorb the last of their yolk sac. (I’m much more worried about the number of female nonmammals in fiction with human-type mammary glands.)
September 1, 2026 at 11:17 PM
it’ll probably grow over as she gets older, as with most other amniotes. after all, baby turtles have a prominent omphalos after they finally absorb the last of their yolk sac. (I’m much more worried about the number of female nonmammals in fiction with human-type mammary glands.)
Check out this video on PBS! www.pbs.org/video/how-th...
Eons | How The Formation of Pangea Changed The World | Life and Death on Pangea | Season 9 | Episode 1
Seed plants and amniotes adapt to dry climates, helping them thrive on Pangea in the Permian Period.
www.pbs.org
August 28, 2026 at 11:39 PM
Check out this video on PBS! www.pbs.org/video/how-th...
Check out this video on PBS! www.pbs.org/video/how-th...
Eons | How The Formation of Pangea Changed The World | Life and Death on Pangea | Season 9 | Episode 1
Seed plants and amniotes adapt to dry climates, helping them thrive on Pangea in the Permian Period.
www.pbs.org
August 28, 2026 at 3:28 PM
Check out this video on PBS! www.pbs.org/video/how-th...
A brilliant series from PBS Eons - Life and Death on Pangea, the life in the Permian era leading to The Great Dying. It is equal to the best of the BBC. www.pbs.org/video/how-th...
Eons | How The Formation of Pangea Changed The World | Life and Death on Pangea | Season 9 | Episode 1
Seed plants and amniotes adapt to dry climates, helping them thrive on Pangea in the Permian Period.
www.pbs.org
August 26, 2026 at 9:12 PM
A brilliant series from PBS Eons - Life and Death on Pangea, the life in the Permian era leading to The Great Dying. It is equal to the best of the BBC. www.pbs.org/video/how-th...
Just a reminder that all of the PBS shows are available to stream for free on their website
This one talks about how Pangea caused life to evolve and eventually go extinct
Check it out, it's very well made
This one talks about how Pangea caused life to evolve and eventually go extinct
Check it out, it's very well made
Eons | How The Formation of Pangea Changed The World | Life and Death on Pangea | Season 9 | Episode 1
Seed plants and amniotes adapt to dry climates, helping them thrive on Pangea in the Permian Period.
www.pbs.org
August 16, 2026 at 6:08 AM
Just a reminder that all of the PBS shows are available to stream for free on their website
This one talks about how Pangea caused life to evolve and eventually go extinct
Check it out, it's very well made
This one talks about how Pangea caused life to evolve and eventually go extinct
Check it out, it's very well made
closest living fish relatives) up to the last common ancestor of all living tetrapods (= the last common ancestor of amphibians and amniotes, i.e. the last common ancestor of you and a frog). To put it another way, they are all more closely related to living tetrapods than to any other living group,
August 14, 2026 at 4:38 PM
closest living fish relatives) up to the last common ancestor of all living tetrapods (= the last common ancestor of amphibians and amniotes, i.e. the last common ancestor of you and a frog). To put it another way, they are all more closely related to living tetrapods than to any other living group,
So, the age thing ... sure, what we call the Appalachians are three different orogenies from the late Ordovician (hello fishies) to the Permian (hello amniotes), but overlying a billion year old event (the Grenville) about as old as the granite forming Pikes Peak.
August 14, 2026 at 12:31 AM
So, the age thing ... sure, what we call the Appalachians are three different orogenies from the late Ordovician (hello fishies) to the Permian (hello amniotes), but overlying a billion year old event (the Grenville) about as old as the granite forming Pikes Peak.
Just read a report that casts uncertainty on this theory. Apparently, the hypothesis was proposed and accepted without much scrutiny/testing. These authors have an alternate explanation involving morphological changes in ancestral lineages over evolutionary time.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Heads or tails first? Evolution of fetal orientation in ichthyosaurs, with a scrutiny of the prevailing hypothesis - BMC Ecology and Evolution
According to a longstanding paradigm, aquatic amniotes, including the Mesozoic marine reptile group Ichthyopterygia, give birth tail-first because head-first birth leads to increased asphyxiation risk...
link.springer.com
August 12, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Just read a report that casts uncertainty on this theory. Apparently, the hypothesis was proposed and accepted without much scrutiny/testing. These authors have an alternate explanation involving morphological changes in ancestral lineages over evolutionary time.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
The explanatory power of energetic fitness models across living amniotes and extinct non-avian dinosaurs academic.oup.com/evolut/artic...
The explanatory power of energetic fitness models across living amniotes and extinct non-avian dinosaurs
Abstract. Vertebrates have varied body size distributions. Among these, non-avian dinosaurs have uniquely large minimum and maximum sizes, but the reasons
academic.oup.com
August 12, 2026 at 5:35 PM
The explanatory power of energetic fitness models across living amniotes and extinct non-avian dinosaurs academic.oup.com/evolut/artic...
Morganucodon my beloved 💙
reptileexplorer.com/conservation...
reptileexplorer.com/conservation...
The Reptile-Mammal Evolutionary Split - Reptile Explorer
Mammals and reptiles trace back to separate synapsid and sauropsid branches of early amniotes. Fossils show how each lineage changed over time.
reptileexplorer.com
August 12, 2026 at 6:46 AM
Morganucodon my beloved 💙
reptileexplorer.com/conservation...
reptileexplorer.com/conservation...