Synopsis of recent research by authors named "Maoyan Zhu"
- Maoyan Zhu's research primarily focuses on the evolutionary biology of early multicellular organisms and the origins of crown metazoans, particularly through the analysis of ancient fossil biotas and their developmental biology, as evidenced by his recent works on the Ediacaran Weng'an biota and 1.63 billion-year-old multicellular eukaryotes.
- His studies highlight significant geological and genetic factors influencing the evolution of life in coastal environments, emphasizing gene inversion's role in the emergence of brackish archaeal heterotrophs post-Cryogenian Snowball Earth.
- Zhu's work also addresses anatomical interpretations of early vertebrate structures, providing insights into the evolution of the pharyngeal skeleton in controversial Cambrian organisms such as yunnanozoans, thereby contributing to understanding the anatomical evolution leading to modern vertebrates.
