A study co-authored by Amelia Villaseñor reveals that the extinction of megafauna in North America more than 10,000 years ago resulted in a reorganized, vulnerable ecosystem. The research found that surviving mammal communities were affected, with vacant niches and changes in dietary habits.
A study reveals that over 50% of mammal food web links have disappeared due to animal declines, leading to a collapse of global ecosystems. Restoring extinct species to their historic ranges holds great potential to reverse these declines and restore food web complexity.
A new genus of shrew-mouse has been discovered on a mountain in the Philippines, revealing unique characteristics and insights into biodiversity. The discovery is significant as it provides crucial information to protect giant eagles, one of the critically endangered bird species found in the area.
Researchers found that the Huanan market in Wuhan, China was the early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 likely present in live mammals sold at the market. The studies suggest two separate zoonotic transmissions led to the virus's introduction into humans.
A new study found evidence that multituberculates, an extinct group of mammals, likely reproduced in a placental-like manner. This discovery questions the long-held idea that marsupials were less advanced than placentals in terms of reproductive strategy.
Large carnivore populations show genuine improvement in extinction risk when protected by international legislation and have controlled hunting plans. Marine mammals are most likely to recover, while rays and sharks face significant threats.
A team of international scientists found that endothermy appeared in mammalian ancestors about 233 million years ago, well before the origin of mammals. Fossils from South Africa's Karoo region played a key role in this discovery, providing an unbroken record of life's evolution.
Scientists used inner ear biomechanics to infer body temperatures in ancient mammals. Mammal ancestors didn't develop ideal inner ear structures for warm-bloodedness until 233 million years ago.
A team of researchers developed a mathematical model to simulate the impact of gene drives on mammal populations at a landscape scale. The X-shredder drive has been shown to potentially eradicate mice, rats, and rabbits, but with varying probabilities of success and eradication times ranging from 18 to 48 years.
Researchers at Texas A&M University have challenged the common belief that nerves are necessary for limb regeneration in mammals. Their studies, published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research and Developmental Biology, found that mechanical loading is a critical component for mammalian regeneration.
Researchers explored the coevolution of mammals and their lice, revealing that a major group of mammalian lice originated on Afrotheria, an African lineage of mammals. The study suggests that lice first parasitized birds before jumping to mammals, with host-switching occurring rarely.
A new study uses gene expression patterns to reconstruct the evolution of the placenta and predict its characteristics in early mammals. The research suggests that the placenta was invasive in the last common ancestor of eutherian mammals, with non-invasive placentas evolving multiple times among mammals.
Researchers have found that deep-diving seals rely on their sensitive whiskers to detect water movement and capture prey in the absence of light. The study provides insight into the unique sensory adaptations of marine mammals and sheds light on how seals navigate and hunt in extreme environments.
A new study has discovered that the raw material for evolution is much more abundant in wild animals than previously believed. Researchers found that many populations of birds and mammals can evolve surprisingly fast, with their genetic difference in survival and reproduction being two to four times higher than previously thought.
A new study finds that California coastal condors are at increased risk of reproductive impairment due to consuming dead marine mammals contaminated with banned chemicals like DDT and PCBs. Baja California, Mexico, presents a reduced risk compared to the California coast.
Urban mammals adjust their daily activities to evade human encounters, altering predator-prey dynamics and increasing human overlap. This multi-species study reveals the timing of mammalian behavior changes in response to urbanization.
A study has discovered that humans are disrupting a fundamental pattern in ecosystems, which dates back at least 66 million years. The U-shaped relationship between diet and size in modern land mammals has been found to span across multiple vertebrate groups, including birds, reptiles, and fish.
During the Paleocene, placental mammals first expanded their body sizes to occupy new ecological niches left behind by dinosaurs. Later, during the Eocene, brain size increased as enhanced cognition became more important in saturated ecosystems.
A study published in Scientific Reports found that mammals with larger brains than similar-sized species were more likely to have survived extinction. The researchers investigated brain sizes of 291 living mammal species and 50 extinct species, discovering a significant correlation between brain size and survival.
For the first 10 million years after dinosaurs died out, mammals bulked up to boost their survival chances. Their brain sizes decreased as a result, with relative brain sizes of early mammals decreasing due to increased body size.
Researchers estimate that hundreds of new mammal species remain to be identified, with most being small-bodied animals like bats and rodents. The study predicts these hidden species are likely to be found in tropical rain forests and regions with high geographic variability.
Researchers from the University of Tsukuba found that D-serine controls tissue pocket formation, allowing for successful tail regression in marine sea squirts. The study's findings provide insight into epidermal homeostasis and evolutionary perspectives on D-amino acid function.
A comprehensive analysis of brain cellular composition across amniotes shows that mammals and birds have dramatically increased neuron numbers in the telencephalon and cerebellum, associated with higher cognition. The study suggests that only a handful of unique evolutionary events augmented brain processing power in these groups.
The discovery of Balkanatolia reveals a unique fauna that enabled Asian mammals to colonize Western Europe 34 million years ago. A new fossil deposit in Turkey dated 38-35 million years ago supports this finding, shedding light on the evolution of mammals.
A new study reveals that mammals, including humans, have different mechanisms to resist cancer spread, which may be an evolutionary compromise to allow invasive pregnancies. Researchers identified specific genetic regulatory mechanisms explaining these differences.
Researchers found animal-dispersed plant species' ability to adapt to climate change reduced by 60% due to bird and mammal losses. Global seed dispersal mapping revealed severe declines in temperate regions, with tropical areas at high risk if endangered species go extinct.
A recent study has found that snake venoms and mammalian salivary proteins share a common origin, suggesting that the foundation for venom to evolve exists in both snakes and mammals. This discovery reveals that the line between venomous and non-venomous mammals is blurrier than previously thought.
A newly discovered extinct reptile species, Shashajaia, has provided insights into the evolution of human teeth. The ancient creature's unique dental structure shows evidence of canine-like differentiated teeth present in synapsids by the Late Carboniferous period.
A new study published in PNAS found that large mammals died out at the end of the last ice age due to a warming climate and vegetation expansion. Rewilding efforts with animals like bison and horses are unlikely to reverse this trend, as climate change remains the primary driver of ecosystem changes.
A team of researchers proposes that endothermy in mammals and birds has a common ancestry and is much older than previously accepted. They found evidence of endothermy in early ancestors of modern birds and mammals, including Pelycosaurs and Pareiasaurs.
Researchers discovered that forest mammals eavesdrop on monkey meals to access fruit dropped by messy eaters. This eavesdropping strategy is crucial for these animals' survival, particularly during periods when almond trees produce abundant food.
A recent study found that most vocal learners, such as dolphins and whales, sound higher than expected based on their body size, not lower. This challenges the idea that faking body size is linked to vocal learning and suggests a different evolutionary scenario for vocal communication in mammals.
Researchers found that human neurons have a lower density of ion channels compared to other mammals, suggesting an evolutionary adaptation for energy efficiency. This difference in channel density may enable the human brain to allocate more resources to complex cognitive processes.
Researchers discovered that mammals developed protruding, flexible noses from reptilian jaws through cellular studies and fossil analysis. This finding explains the origin of mammals' strong sense of smell and provides potential new animal models for studying facial development disorders like cleft palate.
Researchers shed light on the evolution of mammalian tusks by tracing them back to ancient mammal relatives called dicynodonts. Dicynodonts had protruding tusks in their upper jaws, but they were not always true tusks – instead, some had enamel-coated teeth that did not fit the definition.
A new study reveals that tusks originated from ancient mammals before the dinosaurs, with dicynodonts being their closest living relatives. The researchers defined what makes a tusk and found that some dicynodont teeth are indeed tusks, while others have large teeth.
Researchers monitored the temporal niche partitioning of 73 cameras over six years in Malaysia's Sabah state. The study found that some species, like wild cats and civets, segregate their activities by time of day to avoid competition.
Several lizard groups evolved teeth with multiple tips, allowing them to transition to plant-based diets and increasing speciation rates. The study also found that tooth evolution was more flexible in lizards and snakes than mammals.
After a mass extinction event 66 million years ago, early snakes evolved novel dietary adaptations and prey preferences, capitalizing on the ecological opportunity. This rapid diversification of snake diets was driven by the emergence of mammals and birds as prey species.
A study found that snakes rapidly diversified their diets following the K-Pg mass extinction event, incorporating birds, fish, and small mammals into their diet. This diversification was triggered by ecological opportunities presented by the extinction, with some lineages experiencing further bursts of adaptive evolution.
A recent study suggests that primates and marsupials were among the few tree-dwelling mammals that survived an asteroid impact 66 million years ago. The researchers used computer models and fossil records to find that most surviving mammals did not rely on trees, but some arboreal species may have been versatile enough to adapt.
A new study suggests that tree-dwelling mammals, including primates and their ancestors, survived the asteroid strike that devastated Earth's forests 66 million years ago. The research found that ground-dwelling mammals had a selective advantage over arboreal counterparts, but some tree-dwellers managed to survive.
A new study suggests that ground-dwelling and semi-arboreal mammals were better able to survive the mass extinction event, while tree-dwelling mammals were more likely to perish. Early primates may have maintained their arboreal habits through forested refugia or behavioral flexibility.
A comparative genomic study of 57 mammal species identified over 2,000 new genes linked to longevity in humans. These genes are involved in DNA repair, coagulation and inflammatory response mechanisms, and codify more stable proteins in longer-living species.
A new study maps the location and intensity of key threats to terrestrial amphibians, birds, and mammals, identifying priority areas across the world. Agriculture and logging are pervasive in the tropics, while hunting and trapping is the most geographically widespread threat to mammals and birds.
A new study from the University of California, Santa Cruz, develops a comprehensive framework to determine when short-term changes in behavior caused by human activities have biological significance. The framework highlights the importance of life history traits and specific characteristics of disturbances in assessing vulnerability.
Researchers have discovered three new species of ancient mammals in North America, hinting at rapid evolution following the mass extinction of dinosaurs. The creatures, which include the 'Hobbit'-named Beornus honeyi, differ from earlier known mammals and suggest that mammals diversified more rapidly than previously thought.
A new study finds that urbanization is causing many mammal species to grow bigger, contrary to Bergmann's Rule. The study analyzed over 140,000 measurements of body length and mass from North American mammals collected over 80 years.
A Yale study suggests that newborn mammals can anticipate and respond to visual stimuli even before birth. The research reveals that waves of activity emanate from the neonatal retina in mice before their eyes open, mimicking the movement patterns they'll encounter after birth.
Researchers found mammalian-like hippocampal activity in food-caching songbirds like the tufted titmouse, which processes spatial memory using mechanisms similar to those in mammals. This challenges long-held assumptions about the neural basis of spatial memory in non-mammals.
The discovery of Caribeomys merzeraudi, a Caribbean rodent with North American roots, challenges the long-held idea that land-dwelling mammals colonized the islands from South America. The tiny rodent's unique tooth characteristics suggest it may have evolved in isolation over millions of years.
A study published in Cell Reports has shown that administration of senolytic drugs targeting 'zombie cells' in the scar tissue surrounding spinal cord injuries improves functional recovery. The zombie cells are senescent cells with interrupted growth and division but not programmed cell death, which persist in mammals and contribute to...
Researchers have identified two new palaeotheriidae mammals, 'Leptolophus cuestai' and 'Leptolophus franzeni', from the Eocene epoch in Spain. These ancient animals had atypical dental features and were smaller than modern horses.
Researchers identified an internal communication network in mammals that regulates tissue repair and inflammation. Endogenous retroviruses control this dialogue, affecting the host immune system and antimicrobial defenses.
A recent study by Hebrew University researchers identified molecular factors that allow birds to fly, differing from mammals and reptiles. The ephrin-B3 molecule plays a crucial role in coordinating wing movement, enabling birds to flap and take flight.
Researchers found sequence changes in the beta myosin protein that explain the difference in contraction velocity between small and large mammals, with human and rat proteins differing at nine key sites. The study suggests these changes enabled slower heart rates in larger animals as they evolved from smaller species.
Research analyzing camera trap data from across North America found that smaller, faster-reproducing mammals with generalist diets are best equipped to live alongside humans. Conversely, larger species like grizzly bears and lynx tend to avoid more developed areas and are less active when present.
A new study suggests that it was not dinosaurs but other mammals that competed with modern mammals before and after the mass extinction of dinosaurs. The research identifies the evolutionary limits placed on different groups of mammals, revealing a more complex story of competition between distinct mammal groups.
Fossilised footprints from 58 million-year-old rocks in Wyoming reveal that early mammals used marine habitats, pushing back an estimated 9.4 million years of previous assumptions. The prints showed diverse tracks, including those of semiaquatic mammals and artiodactyls.
A study published in Scientific Reports reveals fossilized tracks from the brown bear-sized Coryphodon, showing that large-bodied mammals regularly used marine environments after non-avian dinosaurs went extinct. The discovery is significant as it provides evidence of early mammal behavior and evolution.