{
  "id": 12656162,
  "title": "An early predecessor to mammals could swim, suckle and swallow",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/an-early-predecessor-to-mammals-could-swim-suckle-and-swallow",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-07T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Nature",
    "slug": "nature",
    "url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-03069-0"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Nature, Published online: 07 October 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-03069-0 A fossil of an early ancestor of mammals from the Jurassic period reveals a mammal-like throat passage (pharynx) and throat bones (hyoids). It fills a gap in our knowledge about throat features in the animals from which modern mammals evolved their ability to swallow as adults and suckle milk as babies.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}