Journal of Anatomy
@journalofanatomy.bsky.social
Official journal of the Anatomical Society (@anat_soc). We improve understanding of anatomy through analysis of structure, function, development and evolution: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14697580
@rjstrauch.bsky.social investigate the mandibular symphysis in whales. Toothed whales exhibited unfused, partially fused, or fully fused symphyses, while baleen whales evolved a decoupled, highly mobile symphysis that represents a novel condition unobserved in other mammalian clades.
November 21, 2025 at 11:56 AM
@rjstrauch.bsky.social investigate the mandibular symphysis in whales. Toothed whales exhibited unfused, partially fused, or fully fused symphyses, while baleen whales evolved a decoupled, highly mobile symphysis that represents a novel condition unobserved in other mammalian clades.
This month's cover image comes from the work of @aaronhgriffing.bsky.social and colleagues, looking at the development of hemibacula. They’re chondroid-like, appear after sexual maturity, grow isometrically, and likely evolved via peramorphosis. Weird, wonderful genital bones!
November 18, 2025 at 3:32 PM
This month's cover image comes from the work of @aaronhgriffing.bsky.social and colleagues, looking at the development of hemibacula. They’re chondroid-like, appear after sexual maturity, grow isometrically, and likely evolved via peramorphosis. Weird, wonderful genital bones!
🐘🦣 The vertebral column of elephants is a marvel of biological engineering. The remarkable functional morphology and intervertebral mobility of the elephant backbone is explored here, comparing it with that of other large herbivores and their extinct relatives 🐘🦣 doi.org/10.1111/joa....
October 27, 2025 at 1:21 PM
🐘🦣 The vertebral column of elephants is a marvel of biological engineering. The remarkable functional morphology and intervertebral mobility of the elephant backbone is explored here, comparing it with that of other large herbivores and their extinct relatives 🐘🦣 doi.org/10.1111/joa....
Rodent semicircular canal (SCC) shape and size reveal how they move! 🐀 Agile arboreal species have larger canals, while fossorial ones have smaller. SCC morphology helps predict locomotor behaviour and even reconstruct how fossil rodents moved 🦴 #Anatomy #Evolution #Rodents doi.org/10.1111/joa....
October 21, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Rodent semicircular canal (SCC) shape and size reveal how they move! 🐀 Agile arboreal species have larger canals, while fossorial ones have smaller. SCC morphology helps predict locomotor behaviour and even reconstruct how fossil rodents moved 🦴 #Anatomy #Evolution #Rodents doi.org/10.1111/joa....
Striking diversity in the size, density, and distribution of taste papillae across 11 elasmobranch species reveals how sharks, skates, and rays taste their way to better feeding strategies. Atkinson & Collin, whose study graces our new cover, explain more: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14697580...
October 9, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Striking diversity in the size, density, and distribution of taste papillae across 11 elasmobranch species reveals how sharks, skates, and rays taste their way to better feeding strategies. Atkinson & Collin, whose study graces our new cover, explain more: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/14697580...
The hidden pattern of the primary teeth in an ancestral ray-finned fish provides a clue to how the strange lungfish dentition could have evolved simply by modifying the growth mode of bone. More information in this newly published piece from @uuvertpalaeo.bsky.social here: doi.org/10.1111/joa....
September 19, 2025 at 2:54 PM
The hidden pattern of the primary teeth in an ancestral ray-finned fish provides a clue to how the strange lungfish dentition could have evolved simply by modifying the growth mode of bone. More information in this newly published piece from @uuvertpalaeo.bsky.social here: doi.org/10.1111/joa....
Continuing our celebration of #fossilfriday, Maíllo and colleagues perform osteohistology of an ornithopod from Aliaga (Spain), finding it matured at ~7 years and died aged 9–12. This first use of the three-front model in an #ornithopod reveals strong bone-to-bone variability doi.org/10.1111/joa....
September 5, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Continuing our celebration of #fossilfriday, Maíllo and colleagues perform osteohistology of an ornithopod from Aliaga (Spain), finding it matured at ~7 years and died aged 9–12. This first use of the three-front model in an #ornithopod reveals strong bone-to-bone variability doi.org/10.1111/joa....
Also in this month's #specialissue and celebrating #fossilfriday 🦴 is this paper from Chinsamy and Valenciano identifying multiple exostoses and an osteochondroma in a Pliocene canid 🐕🦊 from Langebaanweg, South Africa doi.org/10.1111/joa....
September 5, 2025 at 12:31 PM
Also in this month's #specialissue and celebrating #fossilfriday 🦴 is this paper from Chinsamy and Valenciano identifying multiple exostoses and an osteochondroma in a Pliocene canid 🐕🦊 from Langebaanweg, South Africa doi.org/10.1111/joa....
Introducing our latest special issue, From Fossil to Microscope: Unraveling the Tapestry of Tissue Anatomy through Paleohistology, with this wonderful cover image from @funstonpaleo.bsky.social et al., of compacted coarse cancellous bone from the early Palaeocene taeniodont, Conoryctes comma.
September 3, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Introducing our latest special issue, From Fossil to Microscope: Unraveling the Tapestry of Tissue Anatomy through Paleohistology, with this wonderful cover image from @funstonpaleo.bsky.social et al., of compacted coarse cancellous bone from the early Palaeocene taeniodont, Conoryctes comma.
📰 Cranial scans in South Africans revealed higher facial asymmetry in female and Black individuals, especially in nasal and temporal regions. These shape shifts may not skew IDs but should be considered in anthropological analyses of ancestry, health, and human variation 📰:
July 28, 2025 at 1:37 PM
📰 Cranial scans in South Africans revealed higher facial asymmetry in female and Black individuals, especially in nasal and temporal regions. These shape shifts may not skew IDs but should be considered in anthropological analyses of ancestry, health, and human variation 📰:
Also in this edition, Enriquez et al., found that epidermal scale shapes and relative scale sizes are mostly retained through growth in both dinosaurs and modern reptiles, suggesting that the enlarged 'feature scales' of some dinosaurs were not used in visual displays: doi.org/10.1111/joa....
July 21, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Also in this edition, Enriquez et al., found that epidermal scale shapes and relative scale sizes are mostly retained through growth in both dinosaurs and modern reptiles, suggesting that the enlarged 'feature scales' of some dinosaurs were not used in visual displays: doi.org/10.1111/joa....
🚨New issue alert 🚨 with a cover image
from Cerda et al. showing dental plate histology of †Ischyodus dolloi, revealing dental plates packed with tritors; hypermineralised structures made of whitlockin, a form of dentine far stronger than the usual material found in teeth doi.org/10.1111/joa....
from Cerda et al. showing dental plate histology of †Ischyodus dolloi, revealing dental plates packed with tritors; hypermineralised structures made of whitlockin, a form of dentine far stronger than the usual material found in teeth doi.org/10.1111/joa....
July 17, 2025 at 2:37 PM
🚨New issue alert 🚨 with a cover image
from Cerda et al. showing dental plate histology of †Ischyodus dolloi, revealing dental plates packed with tritors; hypermineralised structures made of whitlockin, a form of dentine far stronger than the usual material found in teeth doi.org/10.1111/joa....
from Cerda et al. showing dental plate histology of †Ischyodus dolloi, revealing dental plates packed with tritors; hypermineralised structures made of whitlockin, a form of dentine far stronger than the usual material found in teeth doi.org/10.1111/joa....
The Weberian apparatus boosts hearing in otophysan fish via modified bones and ligaments. Using advanced imaging and histology, a study from @jakeleyhr.bsky.social and
@remorphevolab.bsky.social reveals new insights into the elusive first intercostal ligament and its role in this acoustic system
@remorphevolab.bsky.social reveals new insights into the elusive first intercostal ligament and its role in this acoustic system
July 9, 2025 at 12:40 PM
The Weberian apparatus boosts hearing in otophysan fish via modified bones and ligaments. Using advanced imaging and histology, a study from @jakeleyhr.bsky.social and
@remorphevolab.bsky.social reveals new insights into the elusive first intercostal ligament and its role in this acoustic system
@remorphevolab.bsky.social reveals new insights into the elusive first intercostal ligament and its role in this acoustic system
🦷 A common embryological, developmental, and genetic background is shared between dentine and cortical bone. @mathilde-augoyard.bsky.social and team found coordinated variation between their volumes in human limb bones and teeth, suggesting shared factors influencing their postnatal development 🦴
June 25, 2025 at 9:29 AM
🦷 A common embryological, developmental, and genetic background is shared between dentine and cortical bone. @mathilde-augoyard.bsky.social and team found coordinated variation between their volumes in human limb bones and teeth, suggesting shared factors influencing their postnatal development 🦴
We welcome Volume 247 with this fantastic image from work by Sosa et al. This study provides the first comprehensive description of the hindlimb musculature of the #Emperor #Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) across different ontogenetic stages. doi.org/10.1111/joa....
June 18, 2025 at 11:59 AM
We welcome Volume 247 with this fantastic image from work by Sosa et al. This study provides the first comprehensive description of the hindlimb musculature of the #Emperor #Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) across different ontogenetic stages. doi.org/10.1111/joa....
🦭🔥Hot off the press! 🔥🦭 Check out this exciting work from @robyngrant.bsky.social and colleagues looking at the wonderful world of whiskers! #anatomy #comparative #whiskers
Check out our new paper in @journalofanatomy.bsky.social with @cbrassey.bsky.social using FEA and bend tests to show that seal whiskers are stiffer - in both shape and material - than terrestrial species.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Determining modulus of elasticity using finite element analysis and non‐destructive testing: Are aquatic animal whiskers stiffer?
The values of the modulus of elasticity (E) for each species whiskers were obtained when the FE model was aligned to the maximum displacement values of the experiment. Grey seal E values were larger ...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
June 11, 2025 at 12:48 PM
🦭🔥Hot off the press! 🔥🦭 Check out this exciting work from @robyngrant.bsky.social and colleagues looking at the wonderful world of whiskers! #anatomy #comparative #whiskers
Our @journalofanatomy.bsky.social paper of the year is "Microanatomy of the human tunnel of Corti structures and cochlear partition-tonotopic variations and transcellular signaling" by Giese et al.
June 4, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Our @journalofanatomy.bsky.social paper of the year is "Microanatomy of the human tunnel of Corti structures and cochlear partition-tonotopic variations and transcellular signaling" by Giese et al.
🥳New issue means new cover image🥳
Ochronotic #pigmentation is shown within the perichondrium surrounding hyaline #cartilage from the secondary #bronchus of an individual with #alkaptonuria.
Hughes et al.'s investigation of alkaptonuria, available now: doi.org/10.1111/joa....
Ochronotic #pigmentation is shown within the perichondrium surrounding hyaline #cartilage from the secondary #bronchus of an individual with #alkaptonuria.
Hughes et al.'s investigation of alkaptonuria, available now: doi.org/10.1111/joa....
May 19, 2025 at 9:48 AM
🥳New issue means new cover image🥳
Ochronotic #pigmentation is shown within the perichondrium surrounding hyaline #cartilage from the secondary #bronchus of an individual with #alkaptonuria.
Hughes et al.'s investigation of alkaptonuria, available now: doi.org/10.1111/joa....
Ochronotic #pigmentation is shown within the perichondrium surrounding hyaline #cartilage from the secondary #bronchus of an individual with #alkaptonuria.
Hughes et al.'s investigation of alkaptonuria, available now: doi.org/10.1111/joa....
Reposted by Journal of Anatomy
Our latest paper on fibulas 🦴 has finally a home in the @journalofanatomy.bsky.social! We studied trabecular architecture to check if it records arboreal habits 🌳 in #primates 🐒🦧🦍... (1/2) 🧪 #science 🏺 #BioAnth
dx.doi.org/10.1111/joa....
dx.doi.org/10.1111/joa....
The relationship between primate distal fibula trabecular architecture and arboreality, phylogeny and size
The fibula, despite being traditionally overlooked compared to the femur and the tibia, has recently received attention in primate functional morphology due to its correlation with the degree of arbo....
dx.doi.org
May 16, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Our latest paper on fibulas 🦴 has finally a home in the @journalofanatomy.bsky.social! We studied trabecular architecture to check if it records arboreal habits 🌳 in #primates 🐒🦧🦍... (1/2) 🧪 #science 🏺 #BioAnth
dx.doi.org/10.1111/joa....
dx.doi.org/10.1111/joa....
Surface scans capture rotator cuff volume across hominoids; origin areas predict muscle size, paving the way for improved reconstructions. van Beesel, Melillo, and Vereecke's latest publication is now available in @journalofanatomy.bsky.social
May 7, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Surface scans capture rotator cuff volume across hominoids; origin areas predict muscle size, paving the way for improved reconstructions. van Beesel, Melillo, and Vereecke's latest publication is now available in @journalofanatomy.bsky.social
Available 🎉 NOW 🎉 @KaratagOzan used CT to examine infraorbital canal (IOC) types & sinonasal variations. The authors measured IOC length, septum, dOI, Haller cells, sinus opacities, & dehiscence, showing that pre-op IOC imaging is key to avoiding iatrogenic injury doi.org/10.1111/joa....
May 7, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Available 🎉 NOW 🎉 @KaratagOzan used CT to examine infraorbital canal (IOC) types & sinonasal variations. The authors measured IOC length, septum, dOI, Haller cells, sinus opacities, & dehiscence, showing that pre-op IOC imaging is key to avoiding iatrogenic injury doi.org/10.1111/joa....
Little data is available on the #muscle properties and architecture of bat flight muscles.
@acsharp.bsky.social and colleagues show that the Egyptian fruit #bat pectoralis is optimised for power, and the elbow flexion/extension group is optimised for high forces with large PCSA and short fibres
@acsharp.bsky.social and colleagues show that the Egyptian fruit #bat pectoralis is optimised for power, and the elbow flexion/extension group is optimised for high forces with large PCSA and short fibres
May 7, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Little data is available on the #muscle properties and architecture of bat flight muscles.
@acsharp.bsky.social and colleagues show that the Egyptian fruit #bat pectoralis is optimised for power, and the elbow flexion/extension group is optimised for high forces with large PCSA and short fibres
@acsharp.bsky.social and colleagues show that the Egyptian fruit #bat pectoralis is optimised for power, and the elbow flexion/extension group is optimised for high forces with large PCSA and short fibres
This month sees a Special Issue of @journalofanatomy.bsky.social, with a specific focus on Biomedical Imaging in Comparative Anatomy. The cover image shows the wing muscles of the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus), from @acsharp.bsky.social and colleagues, which is included in this issue.
April 24, 2025 at 10:25 AM
This month sees a Special Issue of @journalofanatomy.bsky.social, with a specific focus on Biomedical Imaging in Comparative Anatomy. The cover image shows the wing muscles of the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus), from @acsharp.bsky.social and colleagues, which is included in this issue.
New study from Cruz-Montecinos et al., used ultrasonography to examine sex-specific differences in rectus femoris muscle quality in children. The results showed distinct patterns in tissue composition, potentially reflecting intramuscular fat and connective tissue. doi.org/10.1111/joa....
April 9, 2025 at 2:33 PM
New study from Cruz-Montecinos et al., used ultrasonography to examine sex-specific differences in rectus femoris muscle quality in children. The results showed distinct patterns in tissue composition, potentially reflecting intramuscular fat and connective tissue. doi.org/10.1111/joa....
@yohanpochatcot.bsky.social studied the variation of the morphology of the endosseous labyrinths of extant crocodiles & showed that its morphology is mainly related to the size of the specimen (allometry) and is probably due to changes in braincase conformation.
March 20, 2025 at 11:37 AM
@yohanpochatcot.bsky.social studied the variation of the morphology of the endosseous labyrinths of extant crocodiles & showed that its morphology is mainly related to the size of the specimen (allometry) and is probably due to changes in braincase conformation.