The vertebrate brain emerged more than~ 500 million years ago in common evolutionary
ancestors. To systematically trace its cellular and molecular origins, we established a …

This paper addresses a recent claim by Miyashita and co-authors that the filter-feeding larval
lamprey is a new evolutionary addition to the lamprey life-cycle and does not provide …

The ventricle of the vertebrate heart is the main segment of the cardiac outflow region.
Compared with other cardiac components, it shows remarkable histomorphological variation …

Bone is an evolutionary novelty of vertebrates, likely to have first emerged as part of
ancestral dermal armor that consisted of osteogenic and odontogenic components. Whether …

Lampreys, one of two living lineages of jawless vertebrates, are always intriguing for their
feeding behavior via the toothed suctorial disc and life cycle comprising the ammocoete …

Paired fins are a major innovation, that evolved in the jawed vertebrate lineage after
divergence from living jawless vertebrates. Extinct jawless armoured stem gnathostomes …

Pharyngeal arches are a key innovation that likely contributed to the evolution of the jaws
and braincase of vertebrates. It has long been hypothesized that the pharyngeal (branchial) …

The development of a movable jaw is one of the most important transitions in the
evolutionary history of animals. 1 Jawed vertebrates rapidly diversified after appearing …

Gas exchange and ion regulation at gills have key roles in the evolution of vertebrates,,–.
Gills are hypothesized to have first acquired these important homeostatic functions from the …

The neurocranium is an integral part of the vertebrate head, itself a major evolutionary
innovation,. However, its early history remains poorly understood, with great dissimilarity in …