King's College Londond
Centre for Craniofacial & Regenerative Biology

Testing how the mammalian middle ear evolved

The distinctive middle ear of mammals contains three tiny bones that help transmit sound. Two of these bones evolved from elements of the lower jaw in our distant ancestors, eventually separating from the jaw during mammalian evolution. This transition has long been thought to improve sensitivity to airborne sound, potentially giving early mammals an advantage while living alongside dinosaurs. Yet despite decades of scientific debate, the relationship between middle ear structure and hearing performance has never been rigorously tested.

James will use detailed three-dimensional data to develop biomechanical models of the middle ear during mammalian development. By simulating how middle ear detachment and the material properties of its bones affect vibration, he will test whether these structural changes improve hearing performance. The development of living mammals provides a unique opportunity to investigate a transition that also occurred deep in evolutionary history.

The research aims to provide the first quantitative data on the relationship between morphological adaptation and functional performance during the evolution of the mammalian middle ear. Combining palaeontology, developmental biology and biomedical engineering, it could also establish new methods for investigating hearing in extinct animals.