Middle ear innovation in Early Cretaceous eutherian mammals

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 6831 - 11
• Main Authors: Wang, Haibing, Wang, Yuanqing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 26.10.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/181/2806; 631/181/414; Apomorphy; Biota; Bones; Cartilage; Cretaceous; Decoupling; Ears & hearing; Evolution; Hearing; Humanities and Social Sciences; Innovations; Mammals; Middle ear; Morphology; multidisciplinary; Paleontology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Teeth; Vertebrae

The middle ear ossicles in modern mammals are repurposed from postdentary bones in non-mammalian cynodonts. Recent discoveries by palaeontological and embryonic studies have developed different models for the middle ear evolution in mammaliaforms. However, little is known about the evolutionary scen...