In the News: Around the World and Back in Time

Fig.1. Charles Darwin in 1868 (Credit: Julia Margaret Cameron, 1868)

Instead of sailing to the other side of the world like Darwin, modern evolutionary biologists can scope collections for insight into ancient changes. Online digitized records, hands-on staining, and teeth hidden in collections are being used to rewrite the evolutionary history of animals:

• The fossil record from around 359 million years ago indicates that evolution cannot quickly restore large vertebrates after a mass extinction: “After A Mass Extinction, Only The Small Survive,” New York Times (12 November 2015)

• This process used in vertebrate collections allows researchers to examine the skeleton of animals and development over time: “Clearing And Staining Fishes,” The Brain Scoop (04 November 2015)

• Evolutionary biologists based at the American Museum of Natural History and nearby universities used fossil molars from ancient bats to determine their sweet and savory food preferences: “Analysis Of Oldest-Known Plant-Visiting Bat Suggests It Was Omnivorous,” AMNH News & Blogs (12 November 2015)

• Over 600 fossil mammoth teeth held in London’s Natural History Museum and in collections around the world are changing the evolutionary history of the mammoth: “North American Mammoth Origins Rewritten,” Natural History Museum, London News (12 November 2015)