Amber, a natural polymer, is fossil tree resin derived from diverse botanical sources with
varying chemical compositions. As such, all amber is susceptible to the effects of light …

Ticks are currently among the most prevalent blood-feeding ectoparasites, but their feeding
habits and hosts in deep time have long remained speculative. Here, we report direct and …

Birds are some of the most diverse organisms on Earth, with species inhabiting a wide
variety of niches across every major biome. As such, birds are vital to our understanding of …

Hkamti amber contains exquisite fossils, but the age of the amber biota is unclear. In this
study, we documented the characteristics of fossils hosted in the amber, and we present …

When a vertebrate carcass begins its decay in terrestrial environments, a succession of
different necrophagous arthropod species, mainly insects, are attracted. Trophic aspects of …

This chapter will cover clade definitions, the relationships within clades as well as the
occasional controversial relationships between different clades. Phylogenies arising from a …

The origin of feathers is an important question in Evo-Devo studies, with the eventual
evolution of vaned feathers which are aerodynamic, allowing feathered dinosaurs and early …

Abstract The mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber (~ 99 Ma, Myanmar), widely known for
exquisite preservation of theropods, also yields microfossils, which can provide important …

Predation is a major driving force for the evolution of functional forms. Avoidance of visual
predators has resulted in different kinds of anti-predator defences, such as: camouflage …

Frogs are a familiar and diverse component of tropical forests around the world. Yet there is
little direct evidence from the fossil record for the antiquity of this association. We describe …