Avian embryos, which have been studied scientifically since Aristotle, continue to persevere as invaluable research tools, especially for our understanding of the development and evolution of the craniofacial skeleton. Whether the topic is beak shape in Darwin's finches or signaling interactions that underlie bone and tooth formation, birds offer advantages for craniofacial biology that uniquel...

Four additional specimens from the Green River Formation of Wyoming are referred to the Eocene frigatebird Limnofregata azygosternon Olson, originally described from a nearly complete skeleton and two partial paratypes. Two skulls with mandibles and a partial postcranial skeleton are described as a new species, Limnofregata hasegawai, characterized by much larger size and a proportionately long...

Chromosome analysis is one of the most essential tasks in clinical research of cell genetics and genetic disease diagnosis. Automatic analysis of chromosomes by computers is very useful but there are many issues yet to address. Karyotyping identifies and displays chromosomes in a standard format. In this paper, a tool has been introduced that identifies abnormal chromosomes. The tool is able to...

Introduction: Many inherited or trauma-induced conditions, such as cleidocranial dysplasia or non-union fractures, result from inadequate bone formation [1]. Perhaps providing insight into such clinical maladies, bone formation was lost during evolution. Chondrichthyes, fish whose internal skeleton is entirely cartilaginous, evolved from an ancestral vertebrate population that possessed bone. W...

Bone Gla protein (BGP, Osteocalcin) is a bone-specific vitamin K-dependent protein which has been intensively studied in mammals. Although BGP is the most abundant non-collagenous protein of bone, its mode of action at the molecular level remains unclear. From an evolutionary point of view, the appearance of BGP seems to parallel the appearance of hydroxyapatite-containing bone structures since...

The environment of Al-Jibsa Marsh is a suitable for the growth and reproduction types fish, as (13) species bony fish that have been identified, which belong to (6) families, most important are carp family (Sparidae), Bayah (Mugilidae), jerry (Bagridae) (Mastacemblidae). Some these reside in marsh environment, others migratory, some resident, intruders environment. Concentrations (7) heavy elem...

The crustacean exoskeleton presents several functions including the stabilization of the whole body of the animal, resistance to mechanical loads, and protection to the environment and against predators [1]. The structure of crustacean exoskeleton consists of an organic matrix constituted by α-chitin, proteins and carotenoid pigments and an inorganic fraction where calcium carbonate is the main...

Although modern beaked whales (Ziphiidae) are known to be highly specialized toothed whales that predominantly feed at great depths upon benthic and benthopelagic prey, only limited palaeontological data document this major ecological shift. We report on a ziphiid-fish assemblage from the Late Miocene of Peru that we interpret as the first direct evidence of a predator-prey relationship between...