3D renders of the oldest vertebrate fossil offer clues about our evolution ...

Researchers report in the journal Cell that ancient viruses may be to thank for myelin—and, by extension, our large, complex brains. The team found that a retrovirus-derived genetic element or ...

The origin of the vertebrate skull is a topic of much debate among evolutionary biologists. Some believe that the vertebrate head has developed as a result of modification of the segmental elements of ...

Jawless, bloodsucking fish could help us understand how humans and all other vertebrates evolved, scientists say. Turns out, lampreys — notable for their lack of jaw and generally terrifying ...

In DNA, retrotransposons can move around and insert themselves into other parts of genomes with a kind of copy and paste mechanism. Most have lost this ability in humans, but they still make up a ...

Jawed vertebrates, or gnathostomes, underwent a transformative diversification marked by paired jaws, mineralised skeletons and advanced sensory systems. Phylogenetic research integrates fossil ...

A feeding method of the extinct jawless heterostracans, among the oldest of vertebrates, has been examined and dismissed by scientists, using fresh techniques. A feeding method of the extinct jawless ...

As our species (Homo sapiens) evolved and spread across the globe, they were contemporary with several other hominins. These include the best-known of our evolutionary cousins, the Neanderthals, but ...

The water-to-land transition stands as one of the most significant events in vertebrate evolution, giving rise to the two major groups of living land vertebrates-amniotes and lissamphibians-which ...

Scientists have investigated lamprey embryos using cutting-edge microscopic techniques to reveal interesting insights about vertebrate head evolution, clarifying an unresolved mystery in basic science ...