Mammal Evolution and Morphology
Robert Asher researches the evolution and development of vertebrates, particularly mammals. He is also interested in the history of evolutionary theory and areas of overlap between science and philosophy.
Current research topics include
the evolution and comparative anatomy of insectivoran-grade and endemic African mammals, the phylogenetic information content of fossilizable data, dental development and evolution, and the intersection of science and philosophy.
Key Publications
Yuan H, Dickson ED, Martinez Q, Arnold P, Asher RJ. 2024. The Origin and Evolution of Shrews (Soricidae, Mammalia). Proceedings of the Royal Society B. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2024.1856
Bronner GN, Mynhardt S, Bennett NC, Cohen L, Crumpton N, Hofreiter M, Arnold P, Asher RJ. 2024. Phylogenetic History of Golden Moles and Tenrecs (Mammalia, Afrotheria). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 201(1):184-213. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad121
McKay CJ, Welbourn-Green C, Seiffert ER, Sallam H, Li J, Kakarala SE, Bennett NC, Asher RJ. 2022. Dental Development and First Premolar Homology in Placental Mammals. Vertebrate Zoology 72:201-218. https://doi.org/10.3897/vz.72.e78234
Asher RJ, Smith MR. 2022. Phylogenetic Signal and Bias in Paleontology. Systematic Biology 71(4):986-1008. https://doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syab072