Olfactory receptor (OR) genes, representing the largest multigene family in mammalian genomes, have undergone extensive evolutionary modifications characterised by dynamic patterns of gene duplication ...

The evolutionary history of hyaenodonts and other carnivorous mammals reveals a complex narrative of diversification and ecological adaptation across geographical realms. Emerging during the Paleogene ...

The discovery of new cynodont fossils from southern Brazil by a team of palaeontologists has led to a significant breakthrough in understanding the evolution of mammals. These fossils, belonging to ...

Around 11 million years ago, a cooling climate fragmented warm, humid forests in Africa, Asia, and Europe, giving rise to savannas. Many mammals evolved to take advantage of these wide-open spaces, ...

This study describes and summarizes the Temnocyoninae (Mammalia, Carnivora), a subfamily of amphicyonid carnivores of considerable diversity and singular comorphology within Cenozoic faunas of North ...

New research has revealed that birds, reptiles, and mammals have developed complex brain circuits independently, despite sharing a common ancestor. These findings challenge the traditional view of ...

The sense of smell is vital for animals, as it helps them find food, protect themselves from predators and interact socially. An international research team led by Dr Quentin Martinez and Dr Eli Amson ...

One of the most important steps in the evolution of modern mammals was the development of highly sensitive hearing. The middle ear of mammals, with an eardrum and several small bones, allows us to ...

If we look across the whole of the mammal branch of the tree of life, we find there are many groups of mammals that have evolved testicles of all different sizes. In almost all these separate cases, ...

Long before humans walked the planet, a massive creature ruled the forests and open plains of ancient Eurasia. Paraceratherium, a hornless giant and a distant relative of today’s rhinoceroses, lived ...