luoz@carnegiemnh.org
4400 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213–4080
412.622.6578

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Academic Training

• Post-doctoral Fellow, 1989–91, Harvard University
• PhD, 1989, University of California at Berkeley
• BS, 1982, Nanjing University (China)

Research Interests

• Vertebrate paleontology
• Evolutionary morphology of vertebrates
• Systematic biology

Research Emphases

• Origins and Earliest Evolution of Mammals: Mapping the pattern of transformation of key features among mammaliaforms.
• Phylogenetic Studies of Mesozoic Mammals: Estimating the genealogical relationships of the early mammalian clades, and documenting their patterns of diversification.
• Field Exploration: To study the Triassic–Jurassic Terrestrial Vertebrate Faunas, the Jurassic of North America, and the Early Cretaceous of China.
• Morphological Studies of Fossil Whales & Evolution of Hearing in Whales: Evolution of ear structures and hearing specializations in toothed whales and baleen whales.

Selected Publications

Click here to download a full publications list (Adobe Acrobat PDF)

• Luo, Z.-X. 2011. Developmental patterns in Mesozoic evolution of mammal ears. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. 2011. 42:355–80 (10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-032511-142302).
   
• Luo, Z.-X., Yuan, C.-X., Q.-J. Meng, & Q. Ji. 2011. A Jurassic eutherian mammal and the divergence of marsupials and placentals. Nature 476: 442-445 (doi:10.1038/nature10291).
   
• Rowe, T. B., Macrini, T. E., & Z.-X. Luo. 2011. Fossil evidence on origin of the mammalian brain. Science 332: 955-957 (DOI: 10.1126/science.1203117).
   
• Luo, Z.-X., Ruf, I., J. A. Schultz, and Thomas Martin. 2010. Fossil evidence on evolution of inner ear cochlea in Jurassic mammals. Proceedings of Royal Society Series-B (Biological Sciences) 278: 28-34 (doi: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1148). E-print
   
• Ji, Q., Luo, Z.-X., Zhang, Z.-L., Yuan, C.-X. & L. Xu. 2009. Evolutionary development of the middle ear in Mesozoic therian mammals. Science 326:278-231 (DOI:10.1126/science.1187501). E-print
   
• Gao, C.-L., Wilson, G. P., Luo, Z.-X., Maga, A. M., Meng, Q.-J., and Wang, X.-R. 2009. A new mammal skull from the Lower Cretaceous of China with implications for the evolution of obtuse angled molars and amphilestid eutriconodonts. Proceedings of Royal Society (London) Series B (Biological Sciences). 277:237-246 (doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.1014). E-print
   
• Luo, Z.-X. 2007. Transformation and diversification in early mammal evolution. Nature 450: 1011-1019. E-print
   
• Luo, Z.-X., Q. Ji and C.-X. Yuan. 2007. Convergent dental adaptations in pseudo-tribosphenic and tribosphenic mammals. Nature 450: 93-97. E-print (1.4 Mb PDF) (supporting online material available via Nature Web site)
   
• Luo, Z.-X., P.-J. Chen, G. Li and M. Chen. 2007. A new eutriconodont mammal and evolutionary development of early mammals. Nature 446: 288-293. E-print (1.5 Mb PDF) (supporting online material available via Nature website)
   
• Ji, Q., Z.-X. Luo, C.-X. Yuan, and A. R. Tabrum. 2006. A swimming mammaliaform from the Middle Jurassic and ecomorphological diversification of early mammals. Science 311: 1123-1127. E-print (376 Kb PDF) (supporting online material available via Science website)
   
• Li, G., and Z.-X. Luo. 2006. A Cretaceous symmetrodont therian with some monotreme-like postcranial features. Nature 439:195-200. E-print (772 Kb PDF) (supporting online material available via Nature website)
   
• Luo, Z.-X., and J. R. Wible. 2005. A Late Jurassic digging mammal and early mammalian diversification. Science 308:103-107. E-print (489 Kb PDF) (supporting online material available via Science website)
   
• Kielan-Jaworowska, Zofia, Richard L. Cifelli, & Zhe-Xi Luo. 2004. Mammals from the Age of Dinosaurs - Origins, Evolution, and Structure. Columbia University Press, New York. Pp. i-xv; 1-630. (More information is available on the website for Columbia University Press)
   
• Luo, Z.-X., Q. Ji, J. R. Wible and C-X. Yuan. 2003. An Early Cretaceous Tribosphenic mammal and metatherian evolution. Science 302:1934-1940. E-print (3.7 Mb PDF) (supporting online material available via Science website)
   
• Luo, Z.-X., Z. Kielan-Jaworowska, R. L. Cifelli. 2002. In Quest for A Phylogeny of Mesozoic Mammals. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 47(1): 1-78. E-print (3.6 MB PDF) (Supplementary Information: Data Matrix (25 Kb .mtx file) & PAUP Search Results (23 Kb .log file))
   
• Ji, Q., Z.-X. Luo, C-X. Yuan, J. R. Wible, J.-P. Zhang, & J. A. Georgi. 2002. The earliest known eutherian mammal. Nature 416: 816-822. E-print (757 Kb PDF) (supplementary information available via Nature website)
   
• Luo, Z.-X. 2001. Inner ear and its bony housing in tritylodonts and implications for evolution of mammalian ear. Pp. 81-97. In: F. A. Jenkins et al. (eds.), Studies in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology in Honor of A. W. Crompton. Bulletin of Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. 156(1): 81-97.
   
• Luo, Z.-X., A. W. Crompton and A-L. Sun. 2001. A new mammaliaform from the Early Jurassic of China and evolution of mammalian characteristics. Science 292: 1535-1540. E-print (supporting online material available via Science website)
   
• Luo, Z.-X., R. C. Cifelli and Z. Kielan-Jaworowska. 2001. Dual evolution of tribosphenic mammals. Nature 409: 53-57. E-print (supplementary information available via Nature website). Read the museum press release.
   
• Tang, F., Z.-X. Luo, Z.-H. Zhou, H.-L. You, J. A. Georgi, Z.-L. Tang, and X.-Z. Wang. 2001. Biostratigraphy and Paleoenvironment of the Dinosaur-bearing Sediments in Lower Cretaceous of Mazongshan Area, Gansu Province, China. Cretaceous Research 22: 115-129. E-print (1.5 Mb PDF)
   
• Luo, Z.-X. 2000. Evolution: in search of the whales’ sisters. Nature 404: 235 - 239. E-print (241 Kb PDF)
   
• Luo, Z.-X. and P. D. Gingerich. 1999. Transition from terrestrial ungulates to aquatic whales: transformation of the basicranium and evolution of hearing. Papers on Paleontology (Monograph) 31: 1-98. Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. E-print (5.5 Mb PDF)
   
• Ji, Q., Z.-X. Luo, and S. Ji. 1999. A Chinese triconodont mammal and mosaic evolution of mammalian skeleton. Nature 398:326-330. E-print (supplementary information available via Nature website)
   
• Geisler, J. H., and Z.-X. Luo. 1998. Cranial vascular evolution in mesonychids and cetaceans and the phylogenetic position of cete. Pp. 161-212. In: J. G. M. Thewissen (ed.), Evolutionary Emergence of Whales. Plenum Press, New York.
   
• Luo, Z.-X., and K. Marsh. 1996. Petrosal (periotic) and inner ear of a Pliocene kogiine whale (Kogiinae, Odontoceti): Implications on relationships and hearing evolution of toothed whales. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 16:328–348.
   
• Luo, Z.-X., and A.W. Crompton. 1994. Transformations of the quadrate (incus) through the transition from non-mammalian cynodonts to mammals. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 14:341–374.
   
• Luo, Z.-X. 1994. Sister taxon relationships of mammals and the transformations of the diagnostic mammalian characters. Pp. 98-128 in: In the Shadow of Dinosaurs-Early Mesozoic Tetrapods (N. C. Fraser & H.-D. Sues, eds.). Cambridge University Press.