Our latest: Metazoan diversification characterized by elevated rates of evolution during the middle Ediacaran to earliest Cambrian, by Zhiqing Guo and friends www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Metazoan diversification characterized by elevated rates of evolution during the middle Ediacaran to earliest Cambrian

To test causal hypotheses for the emergence of animal body plans, we analyze rates of molecular and phenotypic evolution across Opisthokonta, focusing on divergences within the Tonian-Ordovician inter...

science.org

I’m excited to share our work on brachiopods! We use phylogenomics to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships of living brachiopods and their relationships with other lophotrochozoans. Huge thanks to all my co-authors and collaborators! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Just discovered the wonderful covers of 'Genes to Cells', the journal of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan @mbsj-official.bsky.social – absolutely beautiful! here some examples inspired by mitosis, CRISPR, the DNA helix, and plant pigments

Our new paper is out! We find that different molecular clock methods recover distinct evolutionary timescales. royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...

Competing methods of divergence time estimation recover diverse evolutionary timescales

Abstract. Molecular clocks convert evolutionary distances into geological times to infer time-scaled phylogenies. Methods differ in terms of fossil calibra

royalsocietypublishing.org

Keen on learning how to use Bayesian model selection to test different hypotheses of diversification? 🦴🧬🕰️ Check our latest work in Molecular Biology and Evolution! academic.oup.com/mbe/article/... With @zihengyang.bsky.social, @phil-donoghue.bsky.social, and @mariodosreis.bsky.social 💫 (1/2)

On the origin of animals and placental mammals: a critique of literalist readings of the fossil record

Abstract. The fossil record is incomplete, as evidenced by the pervasive presence of ghost lineages throughout the Tree of Life. For example, across placen

academic.oup.com

1/ Deep-time phylogenetics is hard: overly simplistic substitution models can mislead tree estimation at the billion year timescale. Our new preprint introduces GTRspmix, a protein modeling framework designed to more realistically model site-to-site heterogeneity in amino acid replacement. 🧵

The broader implication extends beyond flowering plants. Many famous "rocks vs. clocks" debates may not require choosing sides. The challenge is finding better ways to let fossils and molecules speak to each other. Link to our latest: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Integrated analysis of fossils and molecular divergence time estimates a latest Jurassic origin of angiosperms - Nature Plants

Using extensive fossil occurrence data and Bayesian Brownian Bridge modelling, this study derives data-driven calibration densities for molecular clocks and suggests a Late Jurassic origin of flowerin...

nature.com

Ruolin WU@ruolinwu.bsky.social · 5mo ago

The Jurassic Gap shrinks dramatically. Rather than fossils and molecular clocks being in fundamental conflict, they may have been talking past each other. When fossil evidence is incorporated more comprehensively, the two records tell a much more consistent story of flowering plant evolution.

🪸🦕 📈 🪨 Excited to announce our upcoming workshop: Bridging Stratigraphic Palaeobiology & Phylogenetics, with Emilia Jarochowska, @niklashohmann.bsky.social, @rachelwarnock.bsky.social, and Johan Hidding 📍 Lorentz Centre, Leiden 📅 28 Sep – 2 Oct 2026 Applications open - details below 👇