Early reptile origins, sensory evolution, and neurocranial anatomy
Xavier Jenkins' work is on the cutting edge of research into the origins of reptiles and his PhD helps to rewrite this chapter in the book of the life. He recently published three scientific articles that has everyone rethinking what they know about how reptiles came to be. They looked at many animals outside of what people considered to be reptiles and found these distant relatives were not so distant after all; some turned out to be reptiles!!
His work is a collaboration with his advisor, Dr. Brandon Peecook (IMNH Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology) and their colleagues in South Africa at the ESRF. Materials for the research were provided by the American Museum of Natural History, the Field Museum and the Smithsonian.
Read Xavier's articles at:
The recumbirostran Hapsidopareion lepton from the early Permian (Cisuralian: Artinskian) of Oklahoma
Evolutionary Assembly of Crown Reptile Anatomy Clarified by Late Paleozoic Relatives of Neodiapsida
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