Integrating fossils and genomes to resolve the early evolution of snakes

该项目旨在解决一个备受瞩目的进化争议-蛇的起源-通过协调解剖和化石证据与新兴的基因组数据。新的基因组数据令人惊讶地将蛇与非蛇状鬣蜥联系起来，促使人们声称遗传和化石/解剖数据是不可调和的。该项目旨在根据新的基因组树评估这些关键化石和爬行动物解剖学。这有可能极大地阐明蜥蜴-蛇过渡的主要进化变化（例如，蛇头骨的广泛移动性）。该项目还计划评估“蛇形”的长期进化后果，例如假设的肢体丧失不可逆转性，以及对大规模灭绝的适应能力增强。

This project aims to address a high-profile evolutionary controversy – the origin of snakes – by reconciling the anatomical and fossil evidence with the burgeoning genomic data. New genomic data surprisingly links snakes with the un-snakelike iguana, prompting claims that the genetic and the fossil/anatomical data are irreconcilable. The project aims to evaluate these key fossils, and reptile anatomy in general, in light of the new genomic tree. This has potential to greatly elucidate major evolutionary changes across the lizard-snake transition (for example, extensive mobility in the snake skull). The project also plans to assess the long-term evolutionary consequences of ‘snakiness’, such as the hypothesised irreversibility of limb loss, and increased resilience to mass extinction.