The diversification of anatomical structures with functional importance during the branching process of a clade is a widely studied phenomenon in evolutionary biology. In recent years, there is a growing interest in the ...

Mammals possess unique hearing capacities that differ significantly from those of the rest of the amniotes. In order to gain insights into the evolution of the mammalian inner ear, we aim to identify the set of genetic ...

In vertebrates, the inner ear arises from the otic placode, a thickened swathe of ectoderm that invaginates to form the otic vesicle. We report that histone demethylase KDM4B is dynamically expressed during early stages ...

The remarkable hearing capacities of mammals arise from various evolutionary innovations. These include the cochlear outer hair cells and their singular feature, somatic electromotility, i.e., the ability of their cylindrical ...

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is an important neuromodulator found in central and peripheral neurons. NPY was investigated in the peripheral auditory pathway of conventional housed rats and after nontraumatic sound stimulation in ...

Major evolutionary transitions, in which animals develop new body plans and adapt to dramatically new habitats and lifestyles, have punctuated the history of life. The origin of cetaceans from land-living mammals is among ...