The researchers, who publish their findings in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, state that the face of mammals must be seen as an evolutionary novelty in the history of life on earth. The nose, or nose, is a highly curious growth that developed in connection with the modern mammal line seeing the light of day just over 160 million years ago, during the Jurassic period when dinosaurs dominated the earth’s ecosystem.
The study examined fossils of extinct mammals and reptiles. The researchers also performed experiments with embryos from different animal groups – birds, reptiles and mammals. The cells in the front of the head were marked with a special dye and then their development was followed. They soon noticed that a certain type of cell developed into the jaws of lizards – while the same type of cells separated from the jaws of mammals and were instead transformed into a muzzle.
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