Synapsids Push Evolutionary Origin Of Nocturnality In Mammals Back 100 Million Years

Most living mammals are nocturnal and it has long been thought that the transition to nocturnality occurred at about the same time as mammals evolved, around 200 million years ago. That hypothesis was based on features such as the large brains of mammals (good for processing information from senses like hearing, touch, and smell) and the details of light-sensitive chemicals in the eyes of mammals. It turns out that nocturnal activity might have a much older origin among ancient mammal relatives, called synapsids. read more

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