Call for papers - Bringing fossils back to life

Guest Editor

Marcos D. Ercoli, PhD, Laboratorio de Paleontología de Vertebrados, INECOA-CONICET, Instituto de Geología y Minería, National University of Jujuy, Argentina

Jamie A. MacLaren, PhD, Department of Biology, Universiteit Antwerpen, and Department of Geology, Université de Liège, Belgium

Submission Status: Open | Submission Deadline: 28 December 2024

BMC Zoology is calling for submissions to our Collection on modern paleontology deepening our understanding of the complex environmental factors that shaped ancient ecosystems.

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Meet the Guest Editor

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Marcos D. Ercoli, PhD, Laboratorio de Paleontología de Vertebrados, INECOA-CONICET, Instituto de Geología y Minería, National University of Jujuy, Argentina

Dr Ercoli is an Associate Researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), working at the Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA, UNJu-CONICET), Jujuy, Argentina. He specializes in topics related to comparative anatomy, functional morphology, and paleobiology of South American mammals. More specifically, Dr Ercoli is currently working on the myology and osteology of the cranium and postcranium of living and extinct mammals, including ungulates, rodents, and carnivores.

Jamie A. MacLaren, PhD, Department of Biology, Universiteit Antwerpen, and Department of Geology, Université de Liège, Belgium

Dr Jamie MacLaren is a FWO Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Functional Morphology Lab (Department of Biology, Universiteit Antwerpen) and Honorary Research Associate at the Evolution and Diversity Dynamics Lab (Université de Liège), based in Belgium. He specializes in research on comparative anatomy, functional morphology, biomechanics, and paleobiology, predominantly on mammals and reptiles. Currently, Dr MacLaren works on quantitative osteology, musculature, and evolution of the feeding and locomotor systems of living and extinct mammals (specializing in ungulates), in addition to using 3D scanning, morphometry, and biomechanical analyses working on extinct and extant carnivorans, squamates, and a range of secondarily aquatic tetrapods.

About the Collection

BMC Zoology is calling for submissions to our Collection on modern paleontology. In addition to conventional fossil analysis, the use of cutting-edge technologies and interdisciplinary methodologies is allowing significant improvements in the understanding of long-extinct creatures.

By integrating biology, geology, and engineering, experimental paleontologists reconstruct not only the physical structures of extinct species but also their functional aspects and ecological contexts. For instance, high-resolution imaging and computational simulations enable the exploration of biomechanics, providing insights into the locomotion, feeding mechanisms, and behavioral patterns. Moreover, increasingly elaborate molecular and biochemical experimental procedures allow scientists to better understand genetic and proteomic evolution in extinct organisms. This multidisciplinary approach offers a more comprehensive and nuanced perspective on the evolution of life on Earth.

This collection aims to collate research articles on modern paleontology with the aim to deepen our understanding of the complex interplay of environmental factors that shaped ancient ecosystems. Potential topics can include, but are not limited to the following:

Experimental taphonomy and fossilization processes
Functional morphology of fossilized organisms
Paleoecology and experimental reconstruction of ecosystems
Evolutionary biology
Biomineralization: shell and bone formation in ancient organisms
Experimental resurrection biology through genetic engineering or selective breeding
Trace fossil formation

Image credit: Maksim Shmeljov / Stock.adobe.com

There are currently no articles in this collection.

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Bringing fossils back to life" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.