From clone to bone : the synergy of morphological and molecular tools in palaeobiology / [edited by] Robert J. Asher and Johannes Muller.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Molecular tools in paleobiology: divergence and mechanisms / Robert J. Asher and Johannes Muller;
Part I. Divergence:
2. Genomics and the lost world: paleontological insights into genome evolution / Chris Organ;
3. Rocking clocks and clocking rocks: a critical look at divergence time estimation in mammals / Olaf R.P. Bininda-Emonds, Robin M.D. Beck and Ross D.E. MacPhee;
4. Morphological largess: can morphology offer more and be modeled as a stochastic evolutionary process? / Hans C.E. Larsson, T. Alexander Dececchi and Luke B. Harrison;
5. Species selection in the molecular age / Carl Simpson and Johannes Muller;

Part II. Mechanisms:
6. Reconstructing the molecular underpinnings of morphological diversification: a case study of the Triassic fish Saurichthys / Leonhard Schmid;
7. A molecular guide to regulation of morphological pattern in the vertebrate dentition and the evolution of dental development / Moya Smith and Zerina Johanson;
8. Molecular biology of the mammalian dentary: insights into how complex skeletal elements can be shaped during development and evolution / Neal Anthwal and Abigail S. Tucker;
9. Flexibility and constraint: patterning the axial skeleton in mammals / Emily A. Buchholtz;
10. Molecular determinants of marsupial limb integration and constraint / Karen E. Sears, Carolyn K. Doroba, Xiaoyi Cao, Dan Xie and Sheng Zhong;
11. A developmental basis for innovative evolution of the turtle shell / Shigeru Kuratani and Hiroshi Nagashima;
12. A molecular-morphological study of a peculiar limb morphology: the development and evolution of the mole's 'thumb' / Christian Mitgutsch, Michael K. Richardson, Merijn A.G. de Bakker, Rafael Jiménez, Jose Ezequiel Martín, Peter Kondrashov and Marcelo R. Sánchez-Villagra;
13. Manus horribilis: the chicken wing skeleton / Michael K. Richardson;
Index.

In this volume, top scientists in these fields provide perspectives on how molecular data in biology help to elucidate key questions in estimating paleontological divergence and in understanding the mechanisms behind phenotypic evolution. Paleobiological questions such as genome size, digit homologies, genetic control cascades behind phenotype, estimates of vertebrate divergence dates, and rates of morphological evolution are addressed, with a special emphasis on how molecular biology can inform paleontology, directly and indirectly, to better understand life's past. Highlighting a significant shift towards interdisciplinary collaboration, this is a valuable resource for students and researchers interested in the integration of organismal and molecular biology.