Coverage dated October 13, 2026 to October 14, 2026
Modeling study shows early tetrapods had surprisingly little ability to move their necks
Headline from Phys
A new model using sturgeon as a material analog has made it possible to estimate how the backbones of some of the first animals on land could and could not move. These results disprove a long-standing hypothesis that changes in early tetrapod anatomy as they moved onto land gave them improved neck m…
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Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-11158-3 Biomechanical analysis of several early tetrapods using sturgeon as an analogue revealed that early tetrapods had limited neck mobility despite separation of the head and shoulders.
Nature, Published online: 14 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03061-8 As fish evolved into four-limbed creatures, their skull separated from their shoulders to form a neck. Now we learn that this early neck was surprisingly rigid.
A new model using sturgeon as a material analog has made it possible to estimate how the backbones of some of the first animals on land could and could not move. These results disprove a long-standing hypothesis that changes in early tetrapod anatomy as they moved onto land gave them improved neck m…
Modeling study shows early tetrapods had surprisingly little ability to move their necks | Since Then
