New paper by Ph.D. student Melvin Vankelst in Proc B. We modified our semi-automated high density 3D geometric morphometrics protocol to fit carnivoran molars, and test the shape-diet links of these teeth. Check it out! @universitedeliege.bsky.social royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...

Decoupling geometry and topography reveals contrasting ecomorphological signals in carnivoran carnassial teeth

Abstract. The lower carnassial tooth (m1) is a key innovation underlying the ecological diversification of Carnivora. However, their exceptionally diverse

royalsocietypublishing.org

Pleased to share our latest special issue: Feeding biomechanics in vertebrates & beyond! The issue brings together studies spanning insects, fishes & mammals to explore feeding biomechanics anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/19328494... Guest Editors: Böhmer & Winkler

New pre-print testing if bats, carnivorans, & primates occupying equivalent dietary niches evolved convergent mandible shapes & shared adaptive zones! Short answer: no. With @mberthaume.bsky.social, @savannahecobb.bsky.social, & @sesantana.bsky.social www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-1...

Exhilarated to share a 2nd @science.org cover article this month from our lab @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social! A collaboration with US & Mexico colleagues on the role of a Mexican biogeographic holding pen in shaping the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI)(1/11) www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

New pre-print where I model weasels as cylinders to estimate how changes in body size and shape affects thermoregulation. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Our newest paper on mammalian dental evolution, out today as the cover article in @science.org, lead by @narimanechatar.bsky.social with a team of fantastic early career scientists!!! 🎉🥳 “Performance trade-offs define a fundamental dental dichotomy in mammals” www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

New paper led by two undergraduates examining the scaling and ecomorphology of lagomorph body shape and appendicular skeleton is now out in @anatrecord.bsky.social! anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

#FossilFriday doubleheader from our lab: #1: descriptive study of a beautiful skull of the early diverging sabertooth cat Adelphailurus. Lead by @narimanechatar.bsky.social doi.org/10.1080/0272...

New material of Adelphailurus kansensis sheds light on the cranial anatomy of an early-diverging machairodontine felid

Adelphailurus kansensis is a puma-sized felid, originally described from fragmentary material in the Edson Quarry (Kansas, Mio-Pliocene). Here, we describe a nearly complete cranium from the Wikieu...

doi.org

#FossilFriday doubleheader from our lab: #2: Functional morphology of the first known skeleton of the double-crested, badger-like Leptarctus. sjp.pensoft.net/article/1950...

Functional morphology of the first known skeleton of Leptarctus (Mustelidae, Carnivora) clarifies the palaeoecology of a distinctive predator lineage

Leptarctine mustelids are Neogene carnivorans with fossil records in Asia and North America. In the 170 years since the clade was erected, all taxa within this clade have been characterised based on c...

sjp.pensoft.net

Come join us! I'm recruiting postdocs and lab techs to study the functional morphology and biomechanics of walking in fishes and salamanders at the University of Virginia, with option to work at Mountain Lake Biological Station. 2 of 4 job ads are posted on my website: sandykawano.weebly.com 🧪🐟🦎

Sandy K's

Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on the comparative biomechanics of walking-like behaviors in fishes. Apply by June 1, 2026, for full consideration. Click HERE for more information.  Lab...

sandykawano.weebly.com

Sandy Kawano, PhD@sandyk.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Job Alert! I am recruiting a postdoc (and soon a lab tech) to study the functional morphology and biomechanics of walking-like behaviors in fishes at the University of Virginia. Details at: jobs.virginia.edu/us/en/job/R0.... Ads for postdoc+lab tech on salamander locomotion grant coming soon! 🧪🐟🦎

New pre-print on the scaling and ecomorphology of lagomorph body shape and appendicular skeleton, led by undergrads Nia Brice and Coby Huizenga! Check it out! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Oldest evidence of a weasel reveals a Miocene origin of the Mustelinae (Mammalia, Carnivora) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... @morphobank.bsky.social

Introducing the world's oldest weasel, Galanthis baskini! Led by Alberto Valenciano, we found that this weasel dates back to at least the Late Miocene (6.56–6.26 Ma) and pushes the origin of weasels by ~3 million years! 🧵 1/3 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Oldest evidence of a weasel reveals a Miocene origin of the Mustelinae (Mammalia, Carnivora)

Weasels are among the most widespread small carnivores, playing a key role in extant Holarctic ecosystems by preying on other small vertebrates. Despite their substantial diversification during the P...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Hi all. I am very excited that after 6 years I finally got my phylogenetic comparative methods book and online exercises online. Feel free to use and share. The book is here: nhcooper123.github.io/pcm-primer/. Note that it is not finished, we had to abandon it before the sunk costs fallacy broke us

Killer tortoises! I showed this in my island biology lecture yesterday and it shocked the students 😱 Here's the paper describing the behaviour: www.cell.com/current-biol... 🧪🌏

Fun to share a bit about the last 4 years of undergrad led research at the #SSB2026 meeting! @systbiol.bsky.social

Summer fish class at Friday Harbor Labs 🐟 5 weeks, field + lab, real projects. Open to grads, postdocs, and undergrads. Financial aid available. Apply: February 16, 2026 Reach out to @cmdonatelli.bsky.social @fishguy.bsky.social or @karlycohen.bsky.social with questions! Details in the flyer ⬇️

Students had a blast at #SICB2026!

Come check out back-to-back Law lab talks today in the Shape and Climate session (room B112)! 10:15am - Long fuse evolution of carnivoran skeletal phenomes 13:30am - Endocranial shape variation in relation to climate in primates #SICB2026 @sicb-dcb-dvm.bsky.social

Our reviewed preprint @elife.bsky.social: Brawn before bite in endemic Asian mammals after the end-Cretaceous extinction doi.org/10.7554/eLif... The research team will undertake revisions based on the initial reviews to further strengthen the evidence underlying our work! #paleontology #mammals

Very excited for this incredible lineup of talks at #SSB2026! ssb2026.github.io/talks.html For those giving talks, more instructions will be sent shortly. @systbiol.bsky.social

And here's a Q&A of the paper with @iampotassium.bsky.social www.washington.edu/news/2025/12...

Q&A: From ‘mongoose-like’ to lions, tigers and bears (oh my) — how changes in Earth’s climate shaped carnivorans

New research led by the University of Washington suggests that two different climate transitions millions of years ago fueled the diversification of carnivoran body plans.

washington.edu

Chris Law@chrislaw.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Our manuscript is now out in @royalsocietypublishing.org! We tested hypotheses that Cenozoic climatic change influenced the evolution of the cranial, appendicular, & axial skeleton in carnivorans. @tsengzj.bsky.social @hlusko.bsky.social 🧵 1/n royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...

Our manuscript is now out in @royalsocietypublishing.org! We tested hypotheses that Cenozoic climatic change influenced the evolution of the cranial, appendicular, & axial skeleton in carnivorans. @tsengzj.bsky.social @hlusko.bsky.social 🧵 1/n royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...

🧪🐠 I am hiring a postdoc! Work will be on patterns of biodiversity across phylogenetic scales using teleost fishes as a model. Apply by end of Jan 2026 for full consideration apply.interfolio.com/179070 I encourage folks to reach out with any questions. Please Share!

Finally made a logo and acronym for my mentorship program! Check it out chrisjlaw.github.io/NEST.html

NEW METHODS ARTICLE: Phylogenetic GLMMs open doors to study evolution of discrete traits. We show how binary models extend to ordinal & nominal traits, using bird data, and provide tutorials to make these methods accessible to evolutionary biologists: doi.org/10.1093/jeb/... Mizuno et al.

Promoting the use of phylogenetic multinomial generalised mixed-effects model to understand the evolution of discrete traits

Abstract. Phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs) are fundamental tools for understanding trait evolution across species. While linear models are widely us

doi.org

A big review of the evolution of bats: www.annualreviews.org/content/jour... 🧪 ⚒️ #Paleobio #EvoBio

Wonder why this scene looks so familiar... #WildlifeWednesday 🐦🐕

🚨 Recruiting 12 PhD students for a new NSF-funded program at the University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences! This program is for U.S. students who received an Honorable Mention on the NSF GRFP within the last 3 years. @uafairbanks.bsky.social www.uaf.edu/cfos/academi...

New Collection Study Grants for students and postdocs to come visit the @burkemuseum.bsky.social! Applications due 12/15/25. www.burkemuseum.org/collections-...

Collections Study Grants

Collections study grants provide financial assistance for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers to study the collections of the University of Washington Burke Museum (UWBM).

burkemuseum.org