title: The origin and early phylogenetic history of jawed vertebrates.
abstract: Fossils of early gnathostomes (or jawed vertebrates) have been the focus of study for nearly two centuries. They yield key clues about the evolutionary assembly of the group's common body plan, as well the divergence of the two living gnathostome lineages: the cartilaginous and bony vertebrates. A series of remarkable new palaeontological discoveries, analytical advances and innovative reinterpretations of existing fossil archives have fundamentally altered a decades-old consensus on the relationships of extinct gnathostomes, delivering a new evolutionary framework for exploring major questions that remain unanswered, including the origin of jaws.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK.
authors.forename: Martin D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Brazeau
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK.
authors.forename: Matt
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Friedman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005580:Fossils; D007568:Jaw / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D010802:Phylogeny; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology