In a paper published online Feburary 3 in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, Drs. WANG Min and ZHOU Zhonghe, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, described a new adult specimen of Archaeorhynchus spathula, the basal-most taxon of Ornithuromorpha, and compared the bone microstructure of this taxon to other Mesozoic and living birds. Their study reveals ontogenetic variations in early birds, providing important information regarding ontogeny for early ornithuromorphs.

A new species, Chongmingia zhengi, reported in the journal of Scientific Reports on 25 January 2016, sheds light on the early evolution of birds. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that it is basal to the dominant Mesozoic avian clades Enantiornithes and Ornithuromorpha, and represents a new basal avialan lineage. This new discovery adds to our knowledge regarding the phylogenetic differentiation and morphological diversity in early avian evolution.

In a paper published in Journal of Archaeological Science in Janurary, a research team led by Dr. Gao Xing,Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Dr. Francesco d’Errico, Université de Bordeaux present their results of a techno-functional analysis of 17 bone tools recovered the Palaeolithic site of Ma'anshan Cave, Guizhou Province, southern China. These implements are the oldest formal bone tools from China, and the barbed points are amongst the oldest known outside Africa.

Using several genetic analytical methods, an international research team has identified an interbreeding event between the Neanderthals and modern humans that occurred about 100,000 years ago, which is tens of thousands of years earlier than that is currently known. Dr. Qiaomei Fu, from Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, is part of this leading team of international scientists who has made this ground-breaking discovery to be published February 17th, 2016 in the Journal Nature.

In a paper published online 23 January in the journal of Science Bulletin, Dr. XU Guanghui, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, and his collaborator reported a new sexually dimorphic primitive neopterygian fish, Venusichthys comptus, based on 30 exceptionally well-preserved specimens from the Middle Triassic (Pelsonian, Anisian) Luoping Lagerst？tte of eastern Yunnan, China. The discovery represents the oldest known secondary sexual characteristics in Neopterygii, and provides an important addition for understanding the behavior, reproduction, and early diversification of Neopterygii.