First winged mammals from the Jurassic period discovered
UChicago paleontologists discover two 160 million-year-old fossils showing that early mammals in the Jurassic Period evolved to glide and live in trees. [Read more]
Zhe-Xi Luo
Four University of Chicago faculty named AAAS Fellows
Four UChicago scientists from the Biological Sciences Division have been recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. [Read more]
High-tech analysis of proto-mammal fossil clarifies the mammalian family tree
A new CT analysis of a 210 million-year-old fossil, led by Neil Shubin and Zhe-Xi Luo, clarifies the timeline of mammalian evolution. [Read more]
James Hopson receives award for seminal work on mammalian evolution
Prof. Emeritus James Allen “Jim” Hopson, a distinguished educator and paleontologist whose seminal work on the earliest forerunners to mammals shaped our understanding of mammalian evolutionary history, awarded the prestigious Romer-Simpson Medal at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology’s annual meeting in October. [Read more]
125-million-year-old mammal fossil preserved with hair, spines and even a fungal infection
A new, remarkably well-preserved mammalian fossil described by a team including Zhe-Xi Luo, professor of organismal biology and anatomy, contains fur, hair follicles, hedgehog-like spines, organs and even a fungal hair infection. [Read more]
How turtles evolved their skulls
Turtles are famous for the their shells, but it was their skulls that led to the identification of the earliest known turtle - a 260 million-year-old, shell-less reptile known as Eunotosaurus africanus. Bhart-Anjan Bhullar, PhD, describes the discovery in a guest article for ScienceLife. [Read more]
Earliest-known arboreal and subterranean ancestral mammals discovered
Teams led by Zhe-Xi Luo, PhD, professor of organismal biology and anatomy, have discovered two 160 million-year-old fossils in China that represent the earliest-known arborial and subterannean mammals. Their findings suggest widespread ecological diversity among the earliest mammals, and also hints of genetic parallels to modern mammals. [Read more]