Bristol Palaeobiology
@bristolpalaeo.bsky.social
Research and activities of the University of Bristol Palaeobiology Group
A new paper by Ananth Srinivas and colleagues shows that modern crocodiles evolved flatter and weaker skulls from domed ancestors to adapt to life in water, trading skull strength for streamlining.
doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
November 12, 2025 at 9:55 AM
A new paper by Ananth Srinivas and colleagues shows that modern crocodiles evolved flatter and weaker skulls from domed ancestors to adapt to life in water, trading skull strength for streamlining.
doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
Check out this article @davehone.bsky.social, Mike Habib and I wrote based on our ideas about pterosaurs as models for aircraft. Heavy lifting done by Dave Hone and very little by me while I’m on mat leave, but still appreciate being involved!
Looking back in time could inspire the aircraft innovations of the future.
How pterosaurs can inspire aircraft design
Looking back in time could inspire the aircraft innovations of the future.
tcnv.link
June 14, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Check out this article @davehone.bsky.social, Mike Habib and I wrote based on our ideas about pterosaurs as models for aircraft. Heavy lifting done by Dave Hone and very little by me while I’m on mat leave, but still appreciate being involved!
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
Our latest, led by @jameswclark.bsky.social of @milnerevolution.bsky.social shows that the notorious mismatch between molecular and palaeontological estimates for the timing of origin of angiosperms is a consequence of equivocal interpretation of their fossil record @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social
Uncertainty in the timing of diversification of flowering plants rests with equivocal interpretation of their fossil record | Royal Society Open Science
The timing of the origin of crown-angiosperms exemplifies the impact of competing
approaches to establishing evolutionary timescales. Fossils of unequivocal crown-angiosperms
are not known from before...
royalsocietypublishing.org
May 28, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Our latest, led by @jameswclark.bsky.social of @milnerevolution.bsky.social shows that the notorious mismatch between molecular and palaeontological estimates for the timing of origin of angiosperms is a consequence of equivocal interpretation of their fossil record @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
The last bit of Frankie Dunn's PhD is finally published! @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Morphogenesis of Fractofusus andersoni and the nature of early animal development - Nature Communications
Rangeomorphs are some of the oldest complex macroscopic fossil organisms. Here, the authors describe a population of rangeomorphs with two, spindle-shaped fronds from Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, mod...
www.nature.com
April 14, 2025 at 11:00 AM
The last bit of Frankie Dunn's PhD is finally published! @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
For #fossilfriday my first paper just dropped, published by @geolassoc.bsky.social with @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social.
We found a mixed terrestrial and marine fauna with complex ecological implications and a Rhaetian age for these Holwell fissures.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
We found a mixed terrestrial and marine fauna with complex ecological implications and a Rhaetian age for these Holwell fissures.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Microvertebrates from a Rhaetian neptunian dyke at Holwell, Somerset: Dating the fissures
Dating the Mesozoic-aged fissure deposits around Bristol and South Wales has been problematic, with ages of the older examples disputed as either Carn…
www.sciencedirect.com
April 4, 2025 at 8:07 PM
For #fossilfriday my first paper just dropped, published by @geolassoc.bsky.social with @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social.
We found a mixed terrestrial and marine fauna with complex ecological implications and a Rhaetian age for these Holwell fissures.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
We found a mixed terrestrial and marine fauna with complex ecological implications and a Rhaetian age for these Holwell fissures.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
Really pleased to be part of this project which shows that aerobic bacteria arose in the Archaean, long before the GOE - after which aerobes proliferated through HGT. Fun @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social collab including @tweethinking.bsky.social @sabifo4.bsky.social @emoody.bsky.social Davide Pisani
Dating Bacteria is hard due to the lack of maxima. Assuming aerobes likely postdated the GOE gave us better resolved ages, but also surprised us, but not Dr Dayhoff, showing O2 use predated its atmospheric rise by 900 Mys and helped oxygenic photosynthesis to evolve. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
April 4, 2025 at 8:44 AM
Really pleased to be part of this project which shows that aerobic bacteria arose in the Archaean, long before the GOE - after which aerobes proliferated through HGT. Fun @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social collab including @tweethinking.bsky.social @sabifo4.bsky.social @emoody.bsky.social Davide Pisani
This weeks palaeo seminar @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social is by @cambriannelids.bsky.social on the Cambrian evolution of animal skeletons
April 4, 2025 at 12:31 PM
This weeks palaeo seminar @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social is by @cambriannelids.bsky.social on the Cambrian evolution of animal skeletons
This week’s palaeo seminar @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social was delivered by Rachel Wood (Edinburgh) on what triggered the Cambrian Explosion. Oxygen - not much, but just enough!
February 28, 2025 at 5:17 PM
This week’s palaeo seminar @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social was delivered by Rachel Wood (Edinburgh) on what triggered the Cambrian Explosion. Oxygen - not much, but just enough!
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
Job Alert: Senior Research Associate in Phylogenomics @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social researching timing, sequence and phenotypic consequences of rediploidisation following whole genome duplication - comparative genomics, molecular clock and phenotypic disparity methods, with @jameswclark.bsky.social
February 18, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Job Alert: Senior Research Associate in Phylogenomics @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social researching timing, sequence and phenotypic consequences of rediploidisation following whole genome duplication - comparative genomics, molecular clock and phenotypic disparity methods, with @jameswclark.bsky.social
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
Our latest: a Richard Boyle (Exeter) production, using simulations to show how differential selection of biogeochemical cycles can lead to planetary homeostasis, with some empirical data from @emoody.bsky.social and @sabifo4.bsky.social @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social
Persistence selection between simulated biogeochemical cycle variants for their distinct effects on the Earth system | PNAS
The average long-term impact of Darwinian evolution on Earth’s habitability remains
extremely uncertain. Recent attempts to reconcile this uncertai...
www.pnas.org
February 13, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Our latest: a Richard Boyle (Exeter) production, using simulations to show how differential selection of biogeochemical cycles can lead to planetary homeostasis, with some empirical data from @emoody.bsky.social and @sabifo4.bsky.social @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
New lab toy at @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social! We’ve inherited a Bruker Skyscan 1272 from another uni group and today I did my first scan on it, playing around with some microfossils. Not bad for a first attempt I think.
February 3, 2025 at 6:16 PM
New lab toy at @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social! We’ve inherited a Bruker Skyscan 1272 from another uni group and today I did my first scan on it, playing around with some microfossils. Not bad for a first attempt I think.
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
In friday’s palaeo seminar @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social we were treated to Microfossil evolution and morphological change through warm and cold climates by the amazing @bridgetwade.bsky.social
January 27, 2025 at 10:02 AM
In friday’s palaeo seminar @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social we were treated to Microfossil evolution and morphological change through warm and cold climates by the amazing @bridgetwade.bsky.social
Beau is one of our 3rd year undergrads so make sure you check this out!
Our own amazing Beau Jones will be on the radio talking dinosaurs this afternoon!
January 21, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Beau is one of our 3rd year undergrads so make sure you check this out!
First week back to teaching in 2025 and for our palaeo seminar we have Prof Christine Janis telling us about her research into giant kangaroos and whether or not they could hop!
January 17, 2025 at 1:23 PM
First week back to teaching in 2025 and for our palaeo seminar we have Prof Christine Janis telling us about her research into giant kangaroos and whether or not they could hop!
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
Very exciting day today setting up our new (old) CT scanner for @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social! Looking forward to training on it tomorrow and learning the tricks and seeing what we can do with our new toy…
January 15, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Very exciting day today setting up our new (old) CT scanner for @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social! Looking forward to training on it tomorrow and learning the tricks and seeing what we can do with our new toy…
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
Tahlia Pollock @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social has an amazing new study integrating 3D shape, biomechanics, and optimality modelling, helps explain why so many mammals evolve sabre teeth: functional optimality was a key driver behind the repeated evolution of extreme sabre-tooth morphologies.
January 11, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Tahlia Pollock @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social has an amazing new study integrating 3D shape, biomechanics, and optimality modelling, helps explain why so many mammals evolve sabre teeth: functional optimality was a key driver behind the repeated evolution of extreme sabre-tooth morphologies.
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
Cool functional morphology paper by Pollock et al. from @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social finds
functional optimality of puncture & stress resistance performance drove convergent #evolution of sabre-teeth in mammalian carnivores.
#Science #Paleontology #EvolutionaryBiology
www.cell.com/current-biol...
functional optimality of puncture & stress resistance performance drove convergent #evolution of sabre-teeth in mammalian carnivores.
#Science #Paleontology #EvolutionaryBiology
www.cell.com/current-biol...
January 10, 2025 at 12:07 AM
Cool functional morphology paper by Pollock et al. from @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social finds
functional optimality of puncture & stress resistance performance drove convergent #evolution of sabre-teeth in mammalian carnivores.
#Science #Paleontology #EvolutionaryBiology
www.cell.com/current-biol...
functional optimality of puncture & stress resistance performance drove convergent #evolution of sabre-teeth in mammalian carnivores.
#Science #Paleontology #EvolutionaryBiology
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
Yay! Our LUCA study shorturl.at/09YR8 made into @quantamagazine.bsky.social list of 2024's biggest breakthroughs! Thanks to @emoody.bsky.social @tweethinking.bsky.social Davide Pisani @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social and the rest of our amazing team!
Wow! A real honour to be included on this year's list, thanks @quantamagazine.bsky.social and of course all the vital collaborators involved in the work youtu.be/p9XHI_26cPE?...
2024's Biggest Breakthroughs in Biology and Neuroscience
YouTube video by Quanta Magazine
youtu.be
December 19, 2024 at 4:52 PM
Yay! Our LUCA study shorturl.at/09YR8 made into @quantamagazine.bsky.social list of 2024's biggest breakthroughs! Thanks to @emoody.bsky.social @tweethinking.bsky.social Davide Pisani @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social and the rest of our amazing team!
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
The indefatigable Madleen Grohganz has just published the third paper from her PhD thesis this year, showing that heterostracans did not have teeth but tooth-like structures evolved convergently in many stem-gnathostomes, coopted to a tooth function in jawed vertebrates @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social
Morphogenesis of pteraspid heterostracan oral plates and the evolutionary origin of teeth | Royal Society Open Science
Teeth are a key vertebrate innovation; their evolution is generally associated with
the origin of jawed vertebrates. However, tooth-like structures already occur in jawless
stem-gnathostomes; heterost...
royalsocietypublishing.org
December 18, 2024 at 9:47 AM
The indefatigable Madleen Grohganz has just published the third paper from her PhD thesis this year, showing that heterostracans did not have teeth but tooth-like structures evolved convergently in many stem-gnathostomes, coopted to a tooth function in jawed vertebrates @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social
We've got a number of PhD projects up for grabs with competitive funding, but apply asap because they have Jan 13 and Jan 20 application deadlines!!
Check out the list below......
www.bristol.ac.uk/earthscience...
Check out the list below......
www.bristol.ac.uk/earthscience...
Postgraduate research projects
www.bristol.ac.uk
December 13, 2024 at 5:16 PM
We've got a number of PhD projects up for grabs with competitive funding, but apply asap because they have Jan 13 and Jan 20 application deadlines!!
Check out the list below......
www.bristol.ac.uk/earthscience...
Check out the list below......
www.bristol.ac.uk/earthscience...
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
Cool new paper by Ballell et al. from @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social on #lepidosaur (🦎&🐍) jaw #evolution using 3D morphometrics & phylogenetic comparative methods to show ecological adaptation is a prime driver of their extensive diversification.
Read here:
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Read here:
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Ecological drivers of jaw morphological evolution in lepidosaurs | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Ecology is a key driver of morphological evolution during adaptive radiations, but
alternative factors like phylogeny and allometry can have a strong influence on morphology.
Lepidosaurs, the most div...
royalsocietypublishing.org
December 12, 2024 at 12:31 PM
Cool new paper by Ballell et al. from @bristolpalaeo.bsky.social on #lepidosaur (🦎&🐍) jaw #evolution using 3D morphometrics & phylogenetic comparative methods to show ecological adaptation is a prime driver of their extensive diversification.
Read here:
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Read here:
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
Congrats to Dani Schmidt and Mike Benton who won the President’s and Lapworth medals at #PalAss24 for their immense contributions to palaeontological science
December 11, 2024 at 11:20 PM
Congrats to Dani Schmidt and Mike Benton who won the President’s and Lapworth medals at #PalAss24 for their immense contributions to palaeontological science
Thanks to Kirsten, Pablo, Tahlia and Wenqian for organising the Bristol Palaeo christmas party - so much amazing food and amazing people from around the world inc Australia, Canada, Chile, China, France, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Scotland, Spain and Turkey. No one needs to eat for a week!
December 7, 2024 at 11:29 AM
Thanks to Kirsten, Pablo, Tahlia and Wenqian for organising the Bristol Palaeo christmas party - so much amazing food and amazing people from around the world inc Australia, Canada, Chile, China, France, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, Mexico, Scotland, Spain and Turkey. No one needs to eat for a week!
Reposted by Bristol Palaeobiology
Mike Benton came all the way to Sussex today to talk about local fossil hero Gideon Mantell and how far dino research has come since 1824 at the now annual SERC conference organised by Tony Brook
November 30, 2024 at 7:11 PM
Mike Benton came all the way to Sussex today to talk about local fossil hero Gideon Mantell and how far dino research has come since 1824 at the now annual SERC conference organised by Tony Brook
UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships are up for grabs, providing generous funding for PostDocs to transition into Research Leaders. If you want to apply with Bristol Palaeo, please get in touch with one of our academics shorturl.at/XqOoK before Dec 13 internal deadline
www.ukri.org/opportunity/...
www.ukri.org/opportunity/...
Pre-announcement: Future Leaders Fellowships: round 10
Funding to support ambitious research and innovation across UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s remit. You must be an early career researcher or innovator who is either:
www.ukri.org
November 29, 2024 at 4:24 PM
UKRI Future Leaders Fellowships are up for grabs, providing generous funding for PostDocs to transition into Research Leaders. If you want to apply with Bristol Palaeo, please get in touch with one of our academics shorturl.at/XqOoK before Dec 13 internal deadline
www.ukri.org/opportunity/...
www.ukri.org/opportunity/...