VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY MEETING:
From Embryos and Fossils, New Clues to Vertebrate Evolution
Elizabeth Pennisi
LONDON--Nearly 200 paleontologists, developmental biologists, molecular phylogenists, and other researchers gathered here on 8 and 9 April for a meeting on "Major Events in Early Vertebrate Evolution." They heard that studies revealing the molecular programs underlying embryonic development are helping paleontologists better interpret their fossils, while new fossil finds show that organisms once had a wider range of shapes and sizes than thought. Together, these efforts are changing our view of how vertebrates came to be.