Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40294282›Full record

ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2025

Bone microstructure supports a Mesozoic origin for a semiaquatic burrowing lifestyle in monotremes (Mammalia).

Suzanne J Hand, Laura A B Wilson, Camilo López-Aguirre, Alexandra Houssaye, Michael Archer, Joseph J Bevitt, Alistair R Evans, Amalia Y Halim, Tzong Hung, Thomas H Rich and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Updated fossil analyses reveal critical insights into the origins of monotreme lifestyles.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Suzanne J HandSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-4940-3391
Laura A B WilsonSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-3779-8277
Camilo López-AguirreDepartment of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Scarborough, ON M1C 1A4, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-4673-1023
Alexandra HoussayeUMR 7179 Mécanismes adaptatifs et Évolution, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris 75005, France.ORCID 0000-0001-8789-5545
Michael ArcherSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-0304-4039
Joseph J BevittAustralian Centre for Neutron Scattering, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Lucas Heights, NSW 2234, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-3502-4649
Alistair R EvansSchool of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-4078-4693
Amalia Y HalimTyree X-ray Micro-Computed Tomography Laboratory, Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Tzong HungBiological Resources Imaging Laboratory, Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Thomas H RichMuseums Victoria Research Institute, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-3419-8575
Patricia Vickers-RichSchool of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-1850-8067
Robin M D BeckSchool of Science, Engineering, and Environment, University of Salford, Manchester M5 4WT, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-7050-7072

Funding

Department of Education and Training | Australian Research Council (ARC) DE150100862Department of Education and Training | Australian Research Council (ARC) DP180100792Department of Education and Training | Australian Research Council (ARC) DP230100613Department of Education and Training | Australian Research Council (ARC) FT200100822Federal Government | DISR | Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) P7905
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The platypus and four echidna species are the only living egg-laying mammals and the sole extant representatives of Order Monotremata. The platypus and echidnas are very disparate both morphologically and ecologically: The platypus is a specialized semiaquatic burrowing form that forages for freshwater invertebrates, whereas echidnas are fully terrestrial and adapted for feeding on social insects and earthworms. It has been proposed that echidnas evolved from a semiaquatic, platypus-like ancestor, but fossil evidence for such a profound evolutionary transformation has been lacking, and this hypothesis remains controversial. Here, we present original data about the Early Cretaceous (108 to 103 Ma) Australian mammal

Indexed as

Biological EvolutionBone and BonesFossilsTachyglossidaeAnimalsAustraliaPhylogenyPlatypusbone microstructureGondwanaMesozoicmonotremesemiaquatic burrowing

Identifiers

PMID40294282
PMCPMC12088390

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.