While the common ancestor of vertebrates with synovial joints is still a mystery, the oldest specimen with evidence of these ...

A new study from the University of Chicago has uncovered the surprising origin of the flexible joints that allow us to move ...

More information: Sharma N, et al. Synovial joints were present in the common ancestor of jawed fish but lacking in jawless fish. PLOS Biology (2025). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002990 ...

The researchers also studied fossils of extinct fishes dating back almost 400 million years and saw evidence that some of the oldest jawed fishes had bones with joint cavities for articulated ...

The study found that jawed fish, which evolved from jawless ancestors, seem to have simultaneously developed several modern traits early on in their history. In addition to jaws, they also developed a ...

While these fish, the first true jawed fish, reached no great size during the Silurian, they were on their way to becoming one of the planet's top predators. Creepy-crawlies also began to appear ...

The efficient architecture of our joints, which allows our skeletons to be flexible and sturdy, originated among our most ancient jawed fish ancestors, according to a study published in the open ...