Technical comment on "The placental mammal ancestor and the post-K-Pg radiation of placentals".

Springer, Mark S; Meredith, Robert W; Teeling, Emma C; Murphy, William J · Science · 2013

editorial · Level V

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Abstract

O'Leary et al. (Research Article, 8 February 2013, p. 662) examined mammalian relationships and divergence times and concluded that a single placental ancestor crossed the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary. This conclusion relies on phylogenetic analyses that fail to discriminate between homology and homoplasy and further implies virus-like rates of nucleotide substitution in early Paleocene placentals.

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