Resurrecting embryos of the tuatara,
            Sphenodon punctatus
            , to resolve vertebrate phallus evolution

The breadth of anatomical and functional diversity among amniote external genitalia has led to uncertainty about the evolutionary origins of the phallus. In several lineages, including the tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus , adults lack an intromittent phallus, raising the possibility that the amniote ancestor lacked external genitalia and reproduced using cloacal apposition. Accordingly, a phallus may have evolved multiple times in amniotes. However, similarities in development across amniote external genitalia suggest that the phallus may have a single evolutionary origin. To resolve the evolutionary history of amniote genitalia, we performed three-dimensional reconstruction of Victorian era tuatara embryos to look for embryological evidence of external genital initiation. Despite the absence of an intromittent phallus in adult tuataras, our observations show that tuatara embryos develop genital anlagen. This illustrates that there is a conserved developmental stage of external genital development among all amniotes and suggests a single evolutionary origin of amniote external genitalia.

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Tracheal haemangioma: case report

The Journal of Laryngology & Otology ◽

10.1258/0022215041917871 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 118 (8) ◽

pp. 655-658 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

K. Madhumita ◽

K.P. Sreekumar ◽

H. Malini ◽

R. Indudharan

Keyword(s):

Three Dimensional ◽

Lateral Wall ◽

Spiral Ct ◽

Histopathological Diagnosis ◽

Capillary Haemangioma ◽

Dimensional Reconstruction ◽

History Of ◽

Rare Benign Tumour ◽

Computed Tomograph ◽

High Index Of Suspicion

A case of lobular capillary haemangioma of the trachea is presented. The patient gave a history of foreign body sensation in the throat and multiple episodes of haemoptysis. The chest X-ray was normal. A spiral computed tomograph (CT) with three-dimensional reconstruction revealed a small tracheal mass in the antero-lateral wall of the trachea, which was excised by endoscopy. The histopathological diagnosis was lobular capillary haemangioma, a rare, benign tumour of the trachea. A high index of suspicion with the spiral CT finding was responsible for early diagnosis of the tumour.

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Brilliant angle-independent structural colours preserved in weevil scales from the Swiss Pleistocene

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2020.0063 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 20200063

Author(s):

Luke T. McDonald ◽

Suresh Narayanan ◽

Alec Sandy ◽

Vinodkumar Saranathan ◽

Maria E. McNamara

Keyword(s):

Fossil Record ◽

Evolutionary History ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Far Field ◽

Poor Knowledge ◽

X Ray ◽

Evolutionary Origins ◽

X Ray Scattering ◽

Colour Palette ◽

Scanning Electron

Extant weevils exhibit a remarkable colour palette that ranges from muted monochromatic tones to rainbow-like iridescence, with the most vibrant colours produced by three-dimensional photonic nanostructures housed within cuticular scales. Although the optical properties of these nanostructures are well understood, their evolutionary history is not fully resolved, in part due to a poor knowledge of their fossil record. Here, we report three-dimensional photonic nanostructures preserved in brightly coloured scales of two weevils, belonging to the genus Phyllobius or Polydrusus , from the Pleistocene (16–10 ka) of Switzerland. The scales display vibrant blue, green and yellow hues that resemble those of extant Phyllobius/Polydrusus . Scanning electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering analyses reveal that the subfossil scales possess a single-diamond photonic crystal nanostructure. In extant Phyllobius/Polydrusus , the near-angle-independent blue and green hues function primarily in crypsis. The preservation of far-field, angle-independent structural colours in the Swiss subfossil weevils and their likely function in substrate matching confirm the importance of investigating fossil and subfossil photonic nanostructures to understand the evolutionary origins and diversification of colours and associated behaviours (e.g. crypsis) in insects.

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Double aortic arch presenting with a foreign object in the oesophagus: a case report and imaging diagnosis

Cardiology in the Young ◽

10.1017/s1047951117000919 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 27 (8) ◽

pp. 1651-1653

Author(s):

Xiuzhen Yang ◽

Jingjing Ye ◽

Zhan Gao

Keyword(s):

Aortic Arch ◽

Ct Angiography ◽

Subclavian Artery ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Double Aortic Arch ◽

Foreign Object ◽

Right Loop ◽

Dimensional Reconstruction ◽

History Of ◽

The Right

AbstractIn this article, we report a rare case of double aortic arch. The case presented initially with a foreign object in the oesophagus. The patient was a 2-year-old boy, who was referred with primary symptoms of tussis (15 days) and emesis (2 days). He had a history of ingesting a coin. Routine chest X-ray indicated a rounded, metal foreign object in the upper oesophagus. A half-Yuan coin was removed by gastroduodenoscopy. Echocardiographic imaging suggested that the patient had double aortic arch, which was subsequently diagnosed by CT angiography with three-dimensional reconstruction. The right subclavian artery arose from the right loop of the double aortic arch. The left subclavian artery as well as left and right common carotid arteries had distinct origins from the left aortic arch. Imaging also indicated atresia of the distal left arch. The patient underwent corrective surgery and made a full recovery. Despite the rarity, double aortic arch should be considered when patients present with a foreign object in the oesophagus. Echocardiography and CT angiography can inform the diagnosis.

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Gaia: A Stereoscopic Census of Our Galaxy

Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union ◽

10.1017/s1743921310011944 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 5 (H15) ◽

pp. 816-816

Author(s):

T. Prusti

Keyword(s):

Physical Properties ◽

Elemental Composition ◽

Observational Data ◽

Evolutionary History ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Subsequent Evolution ◽

The Galaxy ◽

History Of ◽

Space Astrometry ◽

Modern Astronomy

AbstractGaia is a space astrometry mission, a broad survey project following the measurement and operational principles of Hipparcos. It will help solving one of the most difficult yet deeply fundamental challenges in modern astronomy: to create an extraordinarily precise three-dimensional map of about one billion stars throughout our Galaxy and beyond. In the process, it will map their three-dimensional motions, which encode the origin and subsequent evolution of the Galaxy. Through comprehensive photometric and spectroscopic classification, it will provide the detailed physical properties of each star observed: characterising their luminosity, temperature, gravity, and elemental composition. This massive stellar census will provide the basic observational data to tackle an enormous range of important problems related to the origin, structure, and evolutionary history of our Galaxy.

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Evolution of a chordate-specific mechanism for myoblast fusion

10.1101/2021.07.24.453587 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Haifeng Zhang ◽

Renjie Shang ◽

Kwantae Kim ◽

Wei Zheng ◽

Christopher J. Johnson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Evolutionary History ◽

De Novo ◽

Myoblast Fusion ◽

Last Common Ancestor ◽

Functional Tests ◽

Evolutionary Origins ◽

New Genes ◽

History Of ◽

Early Vertebrates ◽

And Function

The size of an animal is determined by the size of its musculoskeletal system. Myoblast fusion is an innovative mechanism that allows for multinucleated muscle fibers to compound the size and strength of individual mononucleated cells. However, the evolutionary history of the control mechanism underlying this important process is currently unknown. The phylum Chordata hosts closely related groups that span distinct myoblast fusion states: no fusion in cephalochordates, restricted fusion and multinucleation in tunicates, and extensive, obligatory fusion in vertebrates. To elucidate how these differences may have evolved, we studied the evolutionary origins and function of membrane-coalescing agents Myomaker and Myomixer in various groups of chordates. Here we report that Myomaker likely arose through gene duplication in the last common ancestor of tunicates and vertebrates, while Myomixer appears to have evolved de novo in early vertebrates. Functional tests revealed an unexpectedly complex evolutionary history of myoblast fusion in chordates. A pre-vertebrate phase of muscle multinucleation driven by Myomaker was followed by the later emergence of Myomixer that enables the highly efficient fusion system of vertebrates. Thus, our findings reveal the evolutionary origins of chordate-specific fusogens and illustrate how new genes can shape the emergence of novel morphogenetic traits and mechanisms.

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Incidentally identified ductus arteriosus aneurysm in eight adults: a case series

BJR|case reports ◽

10.1259/bjrcr.20200097 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 20200097

Author(s):

Mayo Yukimoto ◽

Tomohisa Okuma ◽

Etsuji Sohgawa ◽

Mariko M Nakano ◽

Taro Shimono ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ductus Arteriosus ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Case Series ◽

Risk Of Rupture ◽

Radiographic Screening ◽

Dimensional Reconstruction ◽

History Of ◽

Ductus Arteriosus Aneurysm ◽

Lost To Follow Up

Ductus arteriosus aneurysm (DAA) in adulthood is a rare entity. We retrospectively reviewed our medical records from the past ten years and identified eight cases of adult DAA (six males and two females aged between 69 and 89 years; mean, 76 years), using multi planar reconstruction and three-dimensional reconstruction computed tomography (CT) images. The aneurysm was suspected incidentally in all cases based on the results of chest radiographic screening or postoperative follow-up CT for lung or colon cancer. All eight patients were asymptomatic but had a history of or concurrent hypertension (n = 5, 62.5%), diabetes mellitus (n = 3, 37.5%), cerebrovascular disease (n = 3, 37.5%), ischemic heart disease (n = 1, 12.5%), and cardiac failure (n = 1). All patients had no history of trauma (n = 8, 100%). Six had a history of cigarette smoking. The aneurysm size ranged from 2.0 × 4.0 to 6.3 × 5.3 cm (mean, 3 × 5 cm). The surgical procedures used were four cases of total arch replacement and two cases of thoracic endovascular aortic repair. Two patients were not surgically treated. The median follow-up was 14.5 months (range, 2 months to 9 years). In the two patients who were not surgically treated, the aneurysm enlarged in one, and remained unchanged in the other. Of the six cases surgically-managed cases, one was lost to follow-up, and another patient died of an unrelated cause. The remaining four cases had no enlargement of the aneurysm. No ruptures were reported in any of the cases. DAA should be considered when a saccular aneurysm is located in the minor curvature of the aortic arch and extending toward the left pulmonary trunk in adult patients. Differentiating adult DAA is important, because it is associated with a high risk of rupture due to the fragile nature of true aneurysms.

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Fossils with Feathers and Philosophy of Science

Systematic Biology ◽

10.1093/sysbio/syz010 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 68 (5) ◽

pp. 840-851 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Joyce C Havstad ◽

N Adam Smith

Keyword(s):

Philosophy Of Science ◽

Evolutionary History ◽

Scientific Practice ◽

Scientific Evidence ◽

Thomas Kuhn ◽

Karl Popper ◽

Scientific Debate ◽

Evolutionary Origins ◽

Research Programmes ◽

History Of

AbstractThe last half century of paleornithological research has transformed the way that biologists perceive the evolutionary history of birds. This transformation has been driven, since 1969, by a series of exciting fossil discoveries combined with intense scientific debate over how best to interpret these discoveries. Ideally, as evidence accrues and results accumulate, interpretive scientific agreement forms. But this has not entirely happened in the debate over avian origins: the accumulation of scientific evidence and analyses has had some effect, but not a conclusive one, in terms of resolving the question of avian origins. Although the majority of biologists have come to accept that birds are dinosaurs, there is lingering and, in some quarters, strident opposition to this view. In order to both understand the ongoing disagreement about avian origins and generate a prediction about the future of the debate, here we use a revised model of scientific practice to assess the current and historical state of play surrounding the topic of bird evolutionary origins. Many scientists are familiar with the metascientific scholars Sir Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn, and these are the primary figures that have been appealed to so far, in prior attempts to assess the dispute. But we demonstrate that a variation of Imre Lakatos’s model of progressive versus degenerative research programmes provides a novel and productive assessment of the debate. We establish that a refurbished Lakatosian account both explains the intractability of the dispute and predicts a likely outcome for the debate about avian origins. In short, here, we offer a metascientific tool for rationally assessing competing theories—one that allows researchers involved in seemingly intractable scientific disputes to advance their debates.

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Three-dimensional reconstruction within the crypto-history of architecture, for the historical-cultural (re)interpretation of architectural heritage in Portugal

Tradition and Innovation ◽

10.1201/9780429297786-21 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 137-144

Author(s):

Eduardo Antunes ◽

Pedro Januário ◽

Paulo Pereira

Keyword(s):

Three Dimensional ◽

Three Dimensional Reconstruction ◽

Architectural Heritage ◽

Dimensional Reconstruction ◽

History Of ◽

History Of Architecture

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Tissue-specific geometry and chemistry of modern and fossilized melanosomes reveal internal anatomy of extinct vertebrates

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1820285116 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 116 (36) ◽

pp. 17880-17889 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Valentina Rossi ◽

Maria E. McNamara ◽

Sam M. Webb ◽

Shosuke Ito ◽

Kazumasa Wakamatsu

Keyword(s):

Evolutionary History ◽

Phylogenetic Distribution ◽

Internal Anatomy ◽

Anatomical Distribution ◽

Tissue Specific ◽

Anatomical Features ◽

Evolutionary Origins ◽

History Of ◽

Specific Geometry ◽

Holistic Method

Recent discoveries of nonintegumentary melanosomes in extant and fossil amphibians offer potential insights into the physiological functions of melanin not directly related to color production, but the phylogenetic distribution and evolutionary history of these internal melanosomes has not been characterized systematically. Here, we present a holistic method to discriminate among melanized tissues by analyzing the anatomical distribution, morphology, and chemistry of melanosomes in various tissues in a phylogenetically broad sample of extant and fossil vertebrates. Our results show that internal melanosomes in all extant vertebrates analyzed have tissue-specific geometries and elemental signatures. Similar distinct populations of preserved melanosomes in phylogenetically diverse vertebrate fossils often map onto specific anatomical features. This approach also reveals the presence of various melanosome-rich internal tissues in fossils, providing a mechanism for the interpretation of the internal anatomy of ancient vertebrates. Collectively, these data indicate that vertebrate melanins share fundamental physiological roles in homeostasis via the scavenging and sequestering of metals and suggest that intimate links between melanin and metal metabolism in vertebrates have deep evolutionary origins.

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