A study shows that turtles use both genetic signals and mechanical forces to form the scales on their heads, revealing a shared heritage with crocodiles and dinosaurs. In vertebrates, the formation of ...

Scientists have generated the genome assemblies of two hidden-neck turtles, unpublished until now. The results, which revealed a new three-dimensional structure of the genome within the phylogenetic ...

Turtles (Testudines) have captivated evolutionary biologists for decades due to their distinct morphology and ancient origins. Recent studies have elucidated the evolutionary transformations that led ...

A newly discovered early turtle fossil from 228 million years ago is missing something crucial: its shell. But in the long, intriguing tale of turtle evolution, turtles didn't always have it all -- ...

In most vertebrates, skin appendages such as hair, feathers, or scales originate from placodes—small, specialized skin regions whose spatial organization is controlled by well-conserved genetic ...

In vertebrates, the formation of feathers, hair, and scales is typically governed by molecular genetic factors. However, crocodile head scales are an exception, as they form through a purely ...