Dr Axel Newton
Axel completed his PhD in the Pask Lab in 2019 examining convergent skull evolution between the extinct marsupial thylacine and placental canids.
He then moved to Monash University for a postdoc, studying avian limb development and wing reduction in the emu.
Now, Axel is back as post-doc in the Pask Lab continuing our thylacine research, and perusing his own research interests of skull development and evolution between mammals.
See his recent publications here.
Current research
- Mammalian skull development and evolution
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Fat-tailed dunnart
Dunnart developmental, reproductive and stem cell biology
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Thylacine convergent evolution
The thylacine was a large carnivorous marsupial that displayed many similarities with other large carnivorous canids, such as dogs and wolves, representing a remarkable case of convergent evolution in mammals. The Pask lab seeks to determine the underlying genetic basis of their similarities, with an emphasis on non-coding genetic elements driving development of the skull. See more of our research here