Our latest: Conflict in ant phylogeny results from complex interaction between multiple evolutionary signals and tree reconstruction artifacts.
"Ten simple rules for postdoctoral mums to stay competitive in academia" provides good advice for anyone, but great to see an article focused on having a life in science
Latest from the lab: @ruolinwu.bsky.social integrates fossil and molecular evidence to estimate the timing of origin of flowering plants. Thanks to @sabifo4.bsky.social @jameswclark.bsky.social Yue Tong, Shan Wan, Davide Pisani, Harald Schneider and Daniele Silvestro for helping to make this happen
Come join us! We have a one-year, part-time, education-focussed Assistant Professor post in Palaeobiology. Deadline for applications is 2nd June 2026. Please see more at the below link:
edzz.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...
Assistant Professor position in paleontology @uugeo.bsky.social 🤩
🐚 🌊 🧪 ⚒️
Our latest: Theoretical morphospace reveals mixed optimisation of the avian wing planform for flight style - the work of Benton Walters, with very little help from myself and @emilyrayfield.bsky.social
Out latest: Morphological disparity in elateriform beetles: patterns, trends and implications by YanDi Li, with negligible contribution by myself, Chenyang Cai and colleagues
royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...
JOB CLAXON: Imaging Assistant @nhm-london.bsky.social . Permanent role. Would be good for someone with CT experience! jobs.nhm.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...
Abstract. Ants, Formicidae, are a group of small social insects that inhabit nearly all terrestrial environments. Three competing hypotheses of ant relatio
You will contribute to a range of education-related activities. In addition you will be expected to demonstrate academic citizenship, developing and maintaining mutually respectful and supportive work...
Here, the authors examine bird wing planform shape and functional performance using theoretical morphospace and phylomorphospace. They find that, in a sample of 1138 extant bird taxa, planform shape i...
Abstract. Morphological disparity, reflecting the breadth of phenotypic variation within clades, offers critical insights into evolutionary dynamics beyond
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...
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...
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.
Ruolin WU
Instead of relying on a handful of fossil calibrations, we analysed >25,000 fossil occurrences across flowering plant history and used them to inform molecular dating analyses.
The result surprised us. Our analyses place the origin of crown-group angiosperms at ~151–153 million years ago.
Ruolin WU
Did flowering plants really spend 100 million years hiding from the fossil record?
For decades, fossils and molecular clocks seemed to tell completely different stories.
This became known as the "Jurassic Gap".
What if the problem wasn't the fossil record?
