Image of the Day: Vestibular System

The inner ear cavity proves to be a useful tool for studying the evolutionary relationships among monkeys, apes, and humans.

Written byAmy Schleunes

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ABOVE: A virtual 3-D model of a gibbon skull with the vestibular apparatus in red
ALESSANDRO URCIUOLI

Three-dimensional imaging of the inner ear cavities of 27 species of monkeys, apes, and humans finds that these structures indicate evolutionary relationships and can potentially be used alongside the fossil record and DNA in phylogenetic reconstruction, according to a study published on March 3 in eLife.

“The findings highlight the potential of the inner ear for reconstructing the early branches of our family tree,” according to a summary from the journal. “They also offer the prospect of refining the controversial evolutionary relationships within the impressive diversity of extinct ape species.”

A. Urciuoli et al., “The evolution of the vestibular apparatus in apes and humans,” eLife, doi:7554/eLife.51261

Amy Schleunes is an intern at The Scientist. Email her at aschleunes@the-scientist.com.

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Meet the Author

Amy Schleunes
A former intern at The Scientist, Amy studied neurobiology at Cornell University and later earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of Iowa. She is a Los Angeles–based writer, editor, and communications strategist who collaborates on nonfiction books for Harper Collins and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and also teaches writing at Johns Hopkins University CTY. Her favorite projects involve sharing the insights of science and medicine.
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