The research on the early evolution of mammalian auditory organs, including humans, has always attracted the attention of the paleontological community.
Among them, McBride's cartilage, which plays an important role in the evolution of mammals, still has many unsolved mysteries, and we look forward to more fossil discovery research to solve it.
The team of Wang Yuanqing, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Institute of Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences), together with Peking University Stomatological Hospital and colleagues in the United States, recently discovered an early true beast about 120 million years ago in the fossil research of the Jehol Biota in Liaoning, China. A new species, named "Nine Buddha Hall Chuan Kui Beast".
The most important research achievement this time is the discovery of the ossified McBurby cartilage preserved in Chuankui beasts. For the first time, the existence of ossified McBurby cartilage was discovered and confirmed in true mammals, filling the gap between the ossified McBurby cartilage in early mammals. The evolutionary gap also confirms that the more degenerated ossified McBurby cartilage is still retained in the adult individuals of some early eutherians.
The research paper has been published in the international professional academic journal "Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B". It is the first time to report the ossified McBride cartilage and inner ear morphology in early true mammals, providing important evidence for the evolution of mammalian auditory organs.
Recently, the first author and corresponding author of the paper and associate researcher Wang Haibing of the Institute of Paleo-Spine of the Chinese Academy of Sciences accepted an exclusive interview with a reporter from China News Agency in Beijing to conduct a popular science interpretation of the fossil discovery and research results of the "Nine Buddha Hall Chuan Kui Beast".
(Reporter Sun Zifa produced Zhou Jing)
Responsible editor: [Liu Xian]