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Open research questions in Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology

59 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 510 Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • The paper identifies challenges in preserving and displaying dinosaur fossils in a historical context. The paper highlights the need for careful analysis and interpretation of museum records. The paper notes the challenges of working with historical artifacts and the importance of preserving their integrity.

    Where did the <i>One of our Dinosaurs is Missing</i> dinosaur come from? · 2026 · DOI

  • The similarity between European Late Pleistocene leopards and other felid species. The limited number of fossil specimens. The imprecision of the stratigraphic classification of some fossil remains.

    Panthera pardus burgtonnae ssp. nov. (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae) from the Eemian of Burgtonna (Thuringia, Germany) – Late Pleistocene European leopards in a new perspective · 2026 · DOI

  • The incompleteness of fossil remains can make it difficult to determine the sex of fossils. The preservation of soft tissues in fossils can be challenging.

    Evidence of male anatomy in a mid-Cretaceous Burmese miniaturised amber gecko · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of precise locality information for the specimen. The absence of provenance data for the specimen. The difficulty of reconstructing the skeletal configuration of ceratopsids.

    Morphology and articular configuration of the ceratopsid (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) lower hindlimb as revealed by a specimen from the Upper Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation of southern Alberta, Canada · 2026 · DOI

  • The scarcity of the fossil record of Pentastomida. The limited understanding of the evolutionary history and diversity of tongue-worms. The challenge of preserving and studying fossil records.

    Hidden diversity in Early Palaeozoic parasites: new indication from Orsten-type Ordovician pentastomidans (tongue-worms) · 2026 · DOI

  • The fragmentary preservation of the specimen. The limited number of sauropod fossils in Antarctica.

    A titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Antarctica · 2026 · DOI

  • The process of stem cell distribution during vertebrate development in salamanders and lizards, however, remains to be demonstrated.

    Speculations on the Evolution of Tail Regeneration in Lizards: Lessons from an Outstanding Case of Organ Regeneration in Amniotes · 2026 · DOI

  • Such features include large dorsal foramina restricted to mobile osteoderms probably related to a highly developed glandular system; serrated borders of the articular portion of mobile osteoderms; and rectangular fixed osteoderms with a poorly defined ornamentation pattern including long and narrow central figures.

    New endemic Dasypodidae (Xenarthra, Cingulata) from the Late Miocene of Ecuador and the importance of the tropics in the cladogenesis of armadillos · 2026 · DOI

  • The site is remote and difficult to maintain. The trackway is fragile and requires careful handling. The conservation plan must balance the needs of tourism and conservation.

    Conservation of the Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackway · 1983 · DOI

  • There is a need for a comprehensive conservation plan for the Lark Quarry dinosaur trackway. The site requires regular maintenance and restoration to prevent further degradation.

    Conservation of the Lark Quarry Dinosaur Trackway · 1983 · DOI

  • Constructing dinosaur models can be a challenging task. Finding accurate and engaging resources for teaching about dinosaurs can be difficult. Teachers may need to adapt the resources to suit the needs of their students.

    Support your local dinosaur!—a survey of dinosaur teaching resources · 1983 · DOI

  • There is a need for a survey of dinosaur teaching resources. There is a lack of guidance on how to construct dinosaur models.

    Support your local dinosaur!—a survey of dinosaur teaching resources · 1983 · DOI

  • 1137 If our hypothesis is correct, then the overall avian karyotypic structure provides the substrate for the 1138 vast phenotypic diversity and adaptation to change that we see now in birds and that has been 52 1139 previously present in other dinosaurs. Most commentators agree that we are now living the 6th and 1140 latest extinction event (Holocene, also known as Anthropocene) this time caused by our own actions. 1141 Of course, we will not be around to observe whether the birds will adapt better than other terrestrial 1142 vertebrates to this event or specifically better than mammals such as ourselves. The next tens of 1143 millions of years (or perhaps sooner) will ultimately test the hypothesis that increased number of 1144 chromosomes in the karyotype, predominantly microchromosomes, is an effective evolutionary 1145 strategy.

    Did the evolution of multiple microchromosomes help save bird and other dinosaurs from extinction? · 2026 · DOI

  • Our exploration sheds light on how palaeontological information is translated to node ages by the FBD process, and suggests that node calibration approaches remain an important alternative when the fossil record of the studied group is scarce and other prior information can be used to devise informative calibration densities.

    How to date a molecular phylogeny: comparison of effective priors between node calibration and fossilized birth–death · 2026 · DOI

  • The time-intensive nature of data acquisition in traditional morphometric approaches. The need for a high-throughput imaging pipeline for automated extraction of size and shape data.

    Testing the applicability of automated size and shape analyses in non-marine ostracods – a case study from the Tibetan Plateau · 2026 · DOI

  • Further comprehensive analyzes of ostracod morphometrics can be conducted using the AutoMorph method. The study suggests that the method can be applied to other fossil groups for evolutionary and developmental investigations.

    Testing the applicability of automated size and shape analyses in non-marine ostracods – a case study from the Tibetan Plateau · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in the historical record of the Diplodocus skeleton and its connection to the Utah Field House Museum. The paper highlights the need for further research on the history of paleontology and the development of museum collections.

    Where did the <i>One of our Dinosaurs is Missing</i> dinosaur come from? · 2026 · DOI

  • Further evaluation of the model on a larger and more diverse dataset. Investigation of the potential for applying the model to other types of fossil tracks.

    Deep learning enables automated detection of dinosaur footprints with high accuracy · 2026 · DOI

  • The taxonomy of European Late Pleistocene leopards is unclear. The study of the Burgtonna fossil remains provides an opportunity to clarify the taxonomy of European Late Pleistocene leopards.

    Panthera pardus burgtonnae ssp. nov. (Mammalia, Carnivora, Felidae) from the Eemian of Burgtonna (Thuringia, Germany) – Late Pleistocene European leopards in a new perspective · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research may involve the study of other extinct species using microCT scans and 3D modeling. Further research may be needed to refine the methods used in the paper.

    Conflicto endocast from Unlocking the early evolution of brain and feeding strategies in Anseriformes: the case of <i>Conflicto antarcticus</i> · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in knowledge on the visual capacities of extinct anseriforms. The paper seeks to address this gap by estimating visual capacities and reconstructing the eyeball of Conflicto antarcticus.

    Conflicto endocast from Unlocking the early evolution of brain and feeding strategies in Anseriformes: the case of <i>Conflicto antarcticus</i> · 2026 · DOI

  • Further study of the fossil record of Raphidiomimidae. Investigation of the evolutionary relationships between Cultriblatta and other genera of Raphidiomimidae.

    Cultriblatta gen. n. – longest and curved ovipositor cockroach of Raphidiomimidae (Blattaria) in the Cretaceous period · 2026 · DOI

  • The rarity of long-ovipositor-bearing representatives of Raphidiomimidae. The lack of understanding of the diversity of cockroaches during the Cretaceous period.

    Cultriblatta gen. n. – longest and curved ovipositor cockroach of Raphidiomimidae (Blattaria) in the Cretaceous period · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies could investigate the biomechanics of other long-necked animals. The development of new technologies or strategies for achieving efficient neck elongation could be informed by the findings of this study.

    Biomechanics of the extremely elongated neck of the Triassic archosauromorph Tanystropheus · 2026 · DOI

  • The fossil record is scarce and fragmentary. The paper relies on a limited number of fossil specimens. The U-Pb dating method has limitations and potential biases.

    New insights into the extinction and recovery of marine vertebrates across the Permian–Triassic mass extinction event in the Dolomites, Southern Alps, Italy · 2026 · DOI

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59 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 510 Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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