Sanchez group – the fish-tetrapod transition and early tetrapod radiation

We study the emergence of limb bones and the role they played to initiate the large-scale terrestrial radiation of tetrapods. Based on the use of propagation phase-contrast synchrotron microtomography, we reconstruct the three-dimensional structure of appendicular elements. We aim at following the evolution of mineralising processes of hard tissues and their association to soft tissues (e.g. bone marrow, muscle attachments) on the basis of comparative anatomical considerations with extant animals.