Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Cellular preservation of musculoskeletal specializations in the Cretaceous bird Confuciusornis (2017)
Journal Article
Jiang, B. Y., Zhao, T., Regnault, S., Edwards, N. P., Kohn, S. C., Li, Z. H., …Hutchinson, J. R. (2017). Cellular preservation of musculoskeletal specializations in the Cretaceous bird Confuciusornis. Nature Communications, 8, 14779. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms14779

The hindlimb of theropod dinosaurs changed appreciably in the lineage leading to extant birds, becoming more ‘crouched’ in association with changes to body shape and gait dynamics. This postural evolution included anatomical changes of the foot and a... Read More about Cellular preservation of musculoskeletal specializations in the Cretaceous bird Confuciusornis.

Regional differentiation of felid vertebral column evolution: a study of 3D shape trajectories (2017)
Journal Article
Randau, M., Cuff, A., Hutchinson, J. R., Pierce, S. E., & Goswami, A. R. (2017). Regional differentiation of felid vertebral column evolution: a study of 3D shape trajectories. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13127-016-0304-4

Recent advances in geometric morphometrics provide improved techniques for extraction of biological information from shape and have greatly contributed to the study of ecomorphology and morphological evolution. However, the vertebral column remains a... Read More about Regional differentiation of felid vertebral column evolution: a study of 3D shape trajectories.

The role of embryo movement in the development of the furcula (2017)
Journal Article
Pollard, A. S., Boyd, S., McGonnell, I. M., & Pitsillides, A. A. (2017). The role of embryo movement in the development of the furcula. Journal of Anatomy, 230(3), 435-443. https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.12571

The pectoral girdle is a complex structure which varies in its morphology between species. A major component in birds is the furcula, which can be considered equivalent to a fusion of the paired clavicles found in many mammals, and the single intercl... Read More about The role of embryo movement in the development of the furcula.

Limb proportions show developmental plasticity in response to embryo movement (2017)
Journal Article
Pollard, A. S., Charlton, B. G., Hutchinson, J. R., Gustafsson, T., McGonnell, I. M., Timmons, J. A., & Pitsillides, A. A. (2017). Limb proportions show developmental plasticity in response to embryo movement. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep41926

Animals have evolved limb proportions adapted to different environments, but it is not yet clear to what extent these proportions are directly influenced by the environment during prenatal development. The developing skeleton experiences mechanical l... Read More about Limb proportions show developmental plasticity in response to embryo movement.

Progressive Structural Defects in Canine Centronuclear Myopathy Indicate a Role for HACD1 in Maintaining Skeletal Muscle Membrane Systems (2017)
Journal Article
Walmsley, G. L., Blott, S., Venner, K., Sewry, C., Laport, J., Blondelle, J., …Piercy, R. J. (2017). Progressive Structural Defects in Canine Centronuclear Myopathy Indicate a Role for HACD1 in Maintaining Skeletal Muscle Membrane Systems. American Journal of Pathology, 187(2), 441-456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2016.10.002

Mutations in HACD1/PTPLA cause recessive congenital myopathies in humans and dogs. Hydroxyacyl-coA dehydratases are required for elongation of very long chain fatty acids, and HACD1 has a role in early myogenesis, but the functions of this striated m... Read More about Progressive Structural Defects in Canine Centronuclear Myopathy Indicate a Role for HACD1 in Maintaining Skeletal Muscle Membrane Systems.

Neurons Responsive to Global Visual Motion Have Unique Tuning Properties in Hummingbirds (2017)
Journal Article
Gaede, A. H., Goller, B., Lam, J. P. M., Wylie, D. R., & Altshuler, D. L. (2017). Neurons Responsive to Global Visual Motion Have Unique Tuning Properties in Hummingbirds. Current Biology, 26(2), 279-285

Neurons in animal visual systems that respond to global optic flow exhibit selectivity for motion direction and/or velocity. The avian lentiformis mesencephali (LM), known in mammals as the nucleus of the optic tract (NOT), is a key nucleus for glo... Read More about Neurons Responsive to Global Visual Motion Have Unique Tuning Properties in Hummingbirds.

Endocranial Morphology of the Extinct North American Lion (Panthera atrox) (2017)
Journal Article
Cuff, A. R., Stockey, C., & Goswami, A. (2017). Endocranial Morphology of the Extinct North American Lion (Panthera atrox). https://doi.org/10.1159/000454705

The extinct North American lion (Panthera atrox) is one of the largest felids (Mammalia, Carnivora) to have ever lived, and it is known from a plethora of incredibly well-preserved remains. Despite this abundance of material, there has been little re... Read More about Endocranial Morphology of the Extinct North American Lion (Panthera atrox).