The fossil record allows a unique glimpse into the evolutionary history of organisms living on
Earth today. We discovered a specimen of the stem group ant† Gerontoformica gracilis …

Ants are highly polyphenic Hymenoptera, with at least three distinct adult forms in the vast
majority of species. Their sexual dimorphism, however, is overlooked to the point of being a …

The mesosoma is the power core of the ant, containing critical structural and muscular
elements for the movement of the head, legs, and metasoma. It has been hypothesized that …

Fossils provide unique opportunity to understand the tempo and mode of evolution and are
essential for modeling the history of lineage diversification. Here, we interrogate the …

Microhabitat differentiation of species communities such as vertical stratification in tropical
forests contributes to species coexistence and thus biodiversity. However, little is known …

Ants show remarkable ecological and evolutionary success due to their social life history
and division of labour among colony members. In some lineages, the worker force became …

Skeletal muscle is responsible for voluntary force generation across animals, and muscle
architecture largely determines the parameters of mechanical output. The ability to analyze …

Quadrupeds and hexapods are known by their ability to adapt their locomotive patterns to
their functions in the environment. Computational modeling of animal movement can help to …

The evolution of eusociality, where solitary individuals integrate into a single colony, is a
major transition in individuality. In ants, the origin of eusociality coincided with the origin of a …

The male genitalia of the Insecta are famed for structural and functional diversity. Variation in
this anatomical region shows ample phylogenetic signal, and this variation has proven …