We synthesize ontogenetic work spanning the past century that show evolutionarily lost
structures are rarely entirely absent from earlier developmental stages. We discuss …

The advent of next generation sequencing technologies (NGS) has greatly accelerated our
understanding of critical aspects of organismal biology from non-model organisms. Bats …

Vampire bats are the only mammals that feed exclusively on blood. To uncover genomic
changes associated with this dietary adaptation, we generated a haplotype-resolved …

Photic niche shifts of mammals are associated with changing visual capabilities, primarily
mediated by three visual pigments, two (SWS1 and M/LWS) of them for color vision and …

The loss of previously adaptive traits is typically linked to relaxation in selection, yet the
molecular steps leading to such repeated losses are rarely known. Molecular studies of loss …

Fruit scent plays an important role in human preference and has thus been studied primarily
in the context of agricultural science. In wild species, fruit scent has long been speculated to …

Through their unique use of sophisticated laryngeal echolocation bats are considered
sensory specialists amongst mammals and represent an excellent model in which to explore …

Abstract Changes in behaviour may initiate shifts to new adaptive zones, with physical
adaptations for novel environments evolving later. While new mutations are commonly …

Bats are incredibly diverse, both morphologically and taxonomically. Bats are the only
mammalian group to have achieved powered flight, an adaptation that is hypothesized to …

We see stunning morphological diversity across the animal world. Less conspicuous but
equally fascinating are the sensory and cognitive adaptations that determine animals' …