According to the new research, the evolutionary origin of endothermy could have occurred nearly 300 million years ago. “Our hypothesis is that endothermy is ancient, with a shared origin in the common ancestry of mammals and birds,” said Professor Gordon Grigg, a researcher in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Queensland. “One of the reviewers said that is a ‘bold hypothesis,’ but it is based on very good evidence. “These early signs of endothermy are consistent with our hypothesis that endothermy is very ancient and likely to be older than the divergence of the sauropod and synapsid lineages,” Professor Grigg said. Whole-body endothermy: ancient, homologous and widespread among the ancestors of mammals, birds and crocodylians.

Source: Ethiopian News December 14, 2021 19:13 UTC