How and when spines changed in mammalian evolution
Monday, February 3, 2020 - 16:30
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Researchers compared modern and ancient animals to explore how mammalian vertebrae have evolved into sophisticated physical structures that can carry out multiple functions. The comparison between complex spine of cats, the more uniform spine of lizard, and CT scans of synapsid fossils showed that the evolution of functions (e.g. bending, twisting) is driven by both selective pressures/behavior and the evolution of independent sections of the spine. The findings shed light on how mammals evolved.