Thomas A. Deméré

TL;DR: The dramatic transformation in mysticete feeding anatomy documents an apparently rare, stepwise mode of evolution in which a composite phenotype bridged the gap between primitive and derived morphologies; a combination of fossil and molecular evidence provides a multifaceted record of this macroevolutionary pattern.

TL;DR: The biogeographic hypothesis supports an eastern North Pacific origin for pinnipedimorphs during the late Oligocene coincident with initiation of glaciation in Antarctica and the early Miocene, where they began to diversify.

TL;DR: These findings confirm the presence of an unidentified species of Homo at the CM site during the last interglacial period (MIS 5e; early late Pleistocene), indicating that humans with manual dexterity and the experiential knowledge to use hammerstones and anvils processed mastodon limb bones for marrow extraction and/or raw material for tool production.

TL;DR: This study fills a major gap in knowledge of the complex structures of the mysticete petrotympanic complex, which is an important anatomical region for the interpretation of the evolutionary history of mammals and introduces a novel body of phylogenetically informative characters from the ear region of mysticetes.

TL;DR: A phylogenetic analysis provides support for recognition of a redefined and monophyletic Cetotheriidae and Herpetocetinae, and also serves as a basis for evaluating the recent proposal that the pygmy right whale (Caperea marginata) is a living cetothere.