Here you can find our current research: brand-new information from botany, entomology, paleontology and zoology. The latest research results are briefly presented here and provide an insight into our work as a research museum. Information about our main research topics can be found on the pages of the respective research departments.
Science News
New
Beyond chewing – New study on the diversity and evolution of food processing in vertebrates
Eine Schildkröte frisst ein Salatblatt
Tortoise eating lettuce. (Copyright: ivabalk@pixabay)
All vertebrates need to eat and efficiently digest food to survive. An important evolutionary step in this process was the development of jaw movements for mechanical food processing. However, the extent and type of these chewing processes, as well as the structures involved in the mouth and throat area, differ significantly between individual groups of modern fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
A new study now synthesises all previous findings on the different forms of food processing in vertebrates and places them in an evolutionary context. Thanks to a unified terminology, patterns already recognisable can be better researched in the future.
