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The pupal moulting fluid has evolved social functions in ants
Ant pupae secrete a fluid, derived from the moulting fluid, that elicits parental care behaviour, provides nutrients for larvae and must be removed for pupal survival.
- Orli Snir
- , Hanan Alwaseem
- & Daniel J. C. Kronauer
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Article |
Ion regulation at gills precedes gas exchange and the origin of vertebrates
Measurements in three taxa with the characteristics of vertebrate ancestors (lamprey ammocoetes, amphioxus and acorn worms) suggest that gas exchange at gills has a vertebrate origin, but that ion regulation at gills has an earlier and possibly stem deuterostome origin.
- Michael A. Sackville
- , Christopher B. Cameron
- & Colin J. Brauner
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Article |
Inner ear biomechanics reveals a Late Triassic origin for mammalian endothermy
The functional morphology of the fluid-filled semicircular ducts of the inner ear is adapted to body temperature and behavioural activity and can be used to investigate the evolution of endothermy.
- Ricardo Araújo
- , Romain David
- & Kenneth D. Angielczyk
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Letter |
Greater vulnerability to warming of marine versus terrestrial ectotherms
Comparisons across terrestrial and marine ectotherms reveal that marine species experience temperatures closer to their upper thermal limits, and that local extirpations related to warming are more common in the ocean.
- Malin L. Pinsky
- , Anne Maria Eikeset
- & Jennifer M. Sunday
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Letter |
Dinosaur egg colour had a single evolutionary origin
A phylogenetic assessment based on Raman microspectroscopy of pigment traces in fossilized eggshells from all major dinosaur clades reveals that eggshell coloration and pigment pattern originated in nonavian theropod dinosaurs.
- Jasmina Wiemann
- , Tzu-Ruei Yang
- & Mark A. Norell
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Letter |
Remarkable muscles, remarkable locomotion in desert-dwelling wildebeest
Wildebeest, particularly during their long migrations under hot arid conditions, gain a considerable increase in range as a result of having highly efficient muscles.
- Nancy A. Curtin
- , Hattie L. A. Bartlam-Brooks
- & Alan M. Wilson
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Article |
Biomechanics of predator–prey arms race in lion, zebra, cheetah and impala
Analysis and modelling of locomotor characteristics of two pursuit predator–prey pairs show that hunts at lower speeds enable prey to use their maximum manoeuvring capacity and favour prey survival.
- Alan M. Wilson
- , Tatjana Y. Hubel
- & Timothy G. West
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Brief Communications Arising |
Royalactin is not a royal making of a queen
- Anja Buttstedt
- , Christian H. Ihling
- & Robin F. A. Moritz
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Letter |
Unidirectional pulmonary airflow patterns in the savannah monitor lizard
Unlike the tidal (in and out) breathing of mammals, bird lungs have unidirectional airflow patterns; here the savannah monitor lizard is shown to have unidirectional airflow too, with profound implications for the evolution of unidirectional airflow in reptiles, predating the origin of birds.
- Emma R. Schachner
- , Robert L. Cieri
- & C. G. Farmer
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Outlook |
Comparative biology: Looking for a master switch
Evolution can extend a species' lifespan by an order of magnitude. Can we learn the same tricks?
- Sarah Deweerdt
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Letter |
Independent evolution of striated muscles in cnidarians and bilaterians
This phylogenomic study shows that core muscle proteins were already present in unicellular organisms before the origin of multicellular animals, and supports a convergent evolutionary model for striated muscles in which new proteins are added to ancient contractile apparatus during independent evolution of bilaterians and some non-bilaterians, resulting in very similar ultrastructures.
- Patrick R. H. Steinmetz
- , Johanna E. M. Kraus
- & Ulrich Technau
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News |
Cyborg snails power up
Molluscs with implanted biofuel cells produce electricity from glucose.
- Richard Van Noorden
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Research Highlights |
Glad rags for a blind mole
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Research Highlights |
Infected faeces kill coral
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Research Highlights |
Sea urchins 'see' with their feet
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News & Views |
Light sense
Evidence that a larval brachiopod has ciliary photoreceptors that are directionally selective, and therefore may function as eyes, bears on an enduring puzzle about photoreceptor evolution in animals.
- Daniel Osorio
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Research Highlights |
Animal biology: Savvy spiders
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News |
Frogs' secret disposal system revealed
Talented amphibians urinate foreign objects implanted in their body cavities.
- Brendan Borrell
Reef-building corals farm and feed on their photosynthetic symbionts
Dinosaurs warm up
How to confuse thirsty bats