How the fish got its shoulder

A CT scan of a fish fossil in the study. Credit: M. Brazeau & M. Castiello - A new analysis of the bones and muscles in ancient fish gives new clues about how the shoulder evolved in animals - including us. The shoulder girdle - the configuration of bones and muscles that in humans support the movement of the arms - is a classic example of an evolutionary 'novelty'. This is where a new anatomical feature appears without any obvious precursors; where there is no smoking gun of which feature clearly led to another. Gill arches may have done their part and been replaced as the shoulder took on a new configuration, including supporting things like our necks. Dr Martin Brazeau - The new research, which draws together a range of evolutionary investigation techniques including fossils, developmental biology, and comparative anatomy, suggests a new way of looking at how major anatomical features like shoulders evolved. The results of the study, led by Imperial College London's Dr Martin Brazeau and Natural History Museum researchers, are .