Long-sought fossil mammal with transitional middle ear
Wednesday, April 13, 2011 - 13:30
in Paleontology & Archaeology
A new, complete fossil turns what's known about the evolution of early mammals on its ear. The specimen shows the bones associated with hearing in mammals -- the malleus, incus and ectotympanic -- decoupled from the lower jaw, as had been predicted, but were held in place by an ossified cartilage that rested in a groove on the lower jaw.