Paleontology

Evolutionary assembly of crown reptile anatomy clarified by late Paleozoic relatives of Neodiapsida

1. Xavier A Jenkins
2. Roger BJ Benson
3. David P Ford
4. Claire Browning
5. Vincent Fernandez
6. Kathleen Dollman
7. Timothy Gomes
8. Elizabeth Griffiths
9. Jonah N Choiniere
10. Brandon R Peecook

Reviewed by Peer Community in Paleontology

Archaeological Bone Assemblages Trace Changes in Turtle and Tortoise Diversity in Continental Southeast Asia

1. Corentin Bochaton
2. Wilailuck Naksri
3. Sirikanya Chantasri
4. Melada Maneechote
5. Supalak Mithong
6. Sophady Heng
7. Hubert Forestier
8. Prasit Auetrakulvit
9. Valéry Zeitoun
10. Jutinach Bowonsachoti
11. Julien Claude

Reviewed by Peer Community in Paleontology

Cryptovaranoides is not a squamate

1. Michael W Caldwell
2. Chase D Brownstein
3. Dalton L Meyer
4. Simon G Scarpetta
5. Michael SY Lee
6. Tiago R Simões

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  Cryptovaranoides, an end-Triassic animal (just over 200 Ma old), was originally described as a possibly anguimorph squamate, i.e., more closely related to snakes and some extant lizards than to other extant lizards, making Squamata much older than previously thought and providing a new calibration date inside it. Following a rebuttal and a defense, this fourth important contribution to the debate makes a meticulous and solid argument that Cryptovaranoides is not a squamate. However, further comparisons to potentially closely related animals would greatly benefit this study, and parts of the text require clarification.

Reviewed by eLife

Rapid riparian ecosystem recovery in low-latitudinal North China following the end-Permian mass extinction

1. Wenwei Guo
2. Li Tian
3. Daoliang Chu
4. Wenchao Shu
5. Michael J Benton
6. Jun Liu
7. Jinnan Tong

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  This is a well-written important paper on the recovery of fauna and flora following the end-Permian extinction event in several continental sites in northern China. The convincing conclusion, a rapid recovery in tropical riparian ecosystems following a short phase of hostile environments and depauperate biota, is supported by an impressive amount of data from sedimentology, body fossils of animals and plants, and especially trace fossils.

Reviewed by eLife

Evidence for deliberate burial of the dead by Homo naledi

1. Lee R Berger
2. Tebogo Vincent Makhubela
3. Keneiloe Molopyane
4. Ashley Krüger
5. Patrick Randolph-Quinney
6. Marina Elliott
7. Becca Peixotto
8. Agustín Fuentes
9. Paul Tafforeau
10. Vincent Beyrand
11. Kathleen Dollman
12. Zubair Jinnah
13. Angharad Brewer Gillham
14. Kenneth Broad
15. Juliet Brophy
16. Gideon Chinamatira
17. Paul HGM Dirks
18. Elen Feuerriegel
19. Alia Gurtov
20. Nompumelelo Hlophe
21. Lindsay Hunter
22. Rick Hunter
23. Kudakwashe Jakata
24. Corey Jaskolski
25. Hannah Morris
26. Ellie Pryor
27. Maropeng Mpete
28. Eric M Roberts
29. Jacqueline S Smilg
30. Mathabela Tsikoane
31. Steven Tucker
32. Dirk Van Rooyen
33. Kerryn Warren
34. Colin D Wren
35. Marc Kissel
36. Penny Spikins
37. John Hawks

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The authors study the context of the skeletal remains of three individuals and associated sediment samples to conclude that the hominin species Homo naledi intentionally buried their dead. Demonstration of the earliest known instance of intentional funerary practice – with a relatively small-brained hominin engaging in a highly complex behavior that has otherwise been observed from Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis – would represent a landmark finding. The authors have revised their manuscript extensively in light of the reviews of their initial submission, with improved illustration, context, discussion, and theoretical frameworks, leading to an improved case supporting their conclusion that Homo naledi intentionally buried their dead. One of the reviewers concludes that the findings convincingly demonstrate intentional burial practices, while another considers evidence for such an unambiguous conclusion to be incomplete given a lack of definitive knowledge around how the hominins got into the chamber. We look forward to seeing the continued development and assessment of this hypothesis. It is worth noting that the detailed reviews (both rounds) and comprehensive author response are commendable and consequential parts of the scientific record of this study. The editors note that the authors' response repeatedly invokes precedent from previous publications to help justify the conclusions in this paper. While doing so is helpful, the editors also note that scientific norms and knowledge are constantly evolving, and that any study has to rest on its own scientific merit.

Reviewed by eLife

Evolution of hind limb morphology of Titanosauriformes (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) analyzed via 3D geometric morphometrics reveals wide-gauge posture as an exaptation for gigantism

1. Adrián Páramo
2. Pedro Mocho
3. Fernando Escaso
4. Francisco Ortega

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The authors present convincing findings on trends in hind limb morphology through the evolution of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs, the land animals that reached the most remarkable gigantic sizes. The important results include the use of 3D geometric morphometrics to examine the femur, tibia, and fibula to provide new information on the evolution of this clade and on evolutionary trends between morphology and allometry.

Reviewed by eLife

A new tuna specimen (Genus Auxis) from the Duho Formation (Miocene) of South Korea

1. Dayun Suh
2. Su-Hwan Kim
3. Gi-Soo Nam

Reviewed by Peer Community in Paleontology

Simple shell measurements do not consistently predict habitat in turtles: a reply to Lichtig and Lucas (2017)

1. Serjoscha W. Evers
2. Christian Foth
3. Walter G. Joyce
4. Guilherme Hermanson

Reviewed by Peer Community in Paleontology

New soft tissue data of pterosaur tail vane reveals sophisticated, dynamic tensioning usage and expands its evolutionary origins

1. Natalia Jagielska
2. Thomas G Kaye
3. Michael B Habib
4. Tatsuya Hirasawa
5. Michael Pittman

• Curated by eLife

  eLife Assessment

  The presented soft tissue data of pterosaur tail vanes represent a valuable contribution to ongoing research efforts to decipher the flight abilities of pterosaurs in the fields of paleontology, comparative biomechanics, and bioinspired design. The new methods are compelling and give new detail on tail morphology, with a potential to resolve how pterosaurs were able to control and maintain tail stiffness to furnish flight control.

Reviewed by eLife

Classification of dinosaur footprints using machine learning

1. Michael Jones
2. Jens N. Lallensack
3. Ian Jarman
4. Peter Falkingham
5. Ivo Siekmann

Reviewed by preLights