The research of Dr. Zhe-Xi Luo focuses on the evolutionary biology of Mesozoic mammals. The focus of this work is to decipher the origins of mammalian biological adaptations, evolutionary relationship of major lineages, ecological diversification, and developmental patterns. Of particular interest is the evolution of the mammalian middle ear and hyoid apparatus.
Luo and his international team of scientists have made discoveries of many early fossil mammals including Hadrocodium (the “paper clip” mammal from the Early Jurassic), Castorocauda (the earliest known swimming mammal), Juramaia (the earliest known fossil of the eutherian lineage), and Sinodelphys (the earliest known member of the metatherian lineage). He was a co-author for Mammals from the Age of Dinosaurs, a major book on early mammal evolution.