Fossil discovery challenges previous understanding of early mammal evolution.

Researchers have unearthed a well-preserved fossil in Mongolia's Gobi Desert, identified as a new species of extinct zhelestid mammal. This finding challenges long-held beliefs about zhelestids' evolutionary relationship to modern placental mammals, suggesting they belong to a different early mammalian branch. Published in Nature, the study emphasizes that fossil teeth alone may not fully predict an ancient animal's complete anatomy.