Neil Shubin

1 month ago | nautil.us | Neil Shubin

In January 2019, my team and I climbed to the top of an Antarctic peak to hunt for fossils of one of the first fish to walk on land. Our goal was to study the rocky summits of the mountains that protrude through the ice in this region. From this altitude, we could see the barren white plain of the polar ice cap for hundreds of miles in every direction. But we were there for the view below our feet. Nautilus Members enjoy an ad-free experience. Log in or Join now .

1 month ago | journals.plos.org | Neelima Rana Sharma |Neil Shubin

Loading metrics Open Access Peer-reviewedResearch Article Citation: Sharma N, Haridy Y, Shubin N (2025) Synovial joints were present in the common ancestor of jawed fish but lacking in jawless fish. PLoS Biol 23(2): e3002990. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3002990Academic Editor: Kimberly L. Cooper, University of California San Diego, UNITED STATES OF AMERICAReceived: April 4, 2024; Accepted: December 19, 2024; Published: February 25, 2025Copyright: © 2025 Sharma et al.

2 months ago | lithub.com | Neil Shubin

We were fighting sleet and wind after yet another fruitless day hunting for fossils on Canada’s Ellesmere Island. It was July 2000, and our scientific target was the fish with arms and legs but, with our existing haul of only a handful of ancient bones and scales, we were still years from eventual success. More immediately, the three of us were a strenuous hike from camp.

Nov 23, 2024 | kirkusreviews.com | Neil Shubin |Amy Tan |Walter Isaacson

An alarming report from the ice caps.

Oct 24, 2024 | biorxiv.org | Jimmy Hu |Neil Shubin

AbstractFor decades, biologists have relied on confocal microscopy to understand cellular morphology and fine details of tissue structure. However, traditional confocal microscopy of tissues faces limited light penetration, typically less than 100 μm, due to tissue opacity. To address this challenge, researchers have developed tissue clearing protocols compatible with confocal microscopy.