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1. Study of the Pygmy Dipole Resonance via (d,p) reactions

   https://doi.org/10.1393/ncc/i2024-24020-5  

   Spieker, M (March 2024, SIF, Bologna)
2. Comprehensive Test of the Brink-Axel Hypothesis in the Energy Region of the Pygmy Dipole Resonance

   https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.182501  

   Markova, M.; von Neumann-Cosel, P.; Larsen, A. C.; Bassauer, S.; Görgen, A.; Guttormsen, M.; Bello Garrote, F. L.; Berg, H. C.; Bjørøen, M. M.; Dahl-Jacobsen, T.; et al (October 2021, Physical Review Letters)
3. Accessing the Single-Particle Structure of the Pygmy Dipole Resonance in ${}^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$

   https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.102503  

   Spieker, M.; Heusler, A.; Brown, B. A.; Faestermann, T.; Hertenberger, R.; Potel, G.; Scheck, M.; Tsoneva, N.; Weinert, M.; Wirth, H.-F.; et al (September 2020, Physical Review Letters)

   null (Ed.)
4. Ideal conditions for increased trapping success of pygmy rabbits ( Brachylagus idahoensis ) across the Great Basin

   https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyaa114  

   Crowell, M M; Shoemaker, K T; Matocq, M D (October 2020, Journal of Mammalogy)

   Carraway, Leslie (Ed.)

   Abstract Sagebrush-steppe ecosystems are one of the most imperiled ecosystems in North America and many of the species that rely on these habitats are of great conservation concern. Pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) are one of these species. They rely on sagebrush year-round for food and cover, and are understudied across their range in the intermountain west due in part to their recalcitrance to standard capture techniques. Identifying an efficient and minimally biased trapping method therefore is a critical first step in learning more about this species. We assessed how trap orientation and weather characteristics influenced trap success for Tomahawk traps placed in and around pygmy rabbit burrows by carrying out trapping surveys at 16 occupied pygmy rabbit sites across the Great Basin from 2016 to 2018. We found that pygmy rabbits had a greater probability of being captured in traps with the open end facing away from burrow entrances. Pygmy rabbits also were more likely to be captured on clear days (0–5% cloud cover) and during periods of cooler temperatures during summer months (June–August). We found no evidence that sex or age ratios differed, or that individuals differed meaningfully, in their preference for certain trap orientations. To increase trap success for pygmy rabbits, we suggest maximizing trapping effort during summer months, at dawn, and maximizing the proportion of Tomahawk traps facing away from burrow entrances. We anticipate that our monitoring protocol will enable more effective research into the ecology and conservation of this cryptic and potentially imperiled species. 

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5. Molecular data suggests a Pliocene – Early Pleistocene divergence date for the common and pygmy hippopotamus

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1144711  

   Kardos, Michael C.; Velmurugan, Sindhu; Janecka, Jan E. (June 2023, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution)

   Hippopotamid phylogeny has proven difficult to resolve with proposed relationships between extant and fossil species receiving mixed levels of support. Of particular interest is the divergence between the two extant hippopotamid species, the well-known common hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) and the enigmatic pygmy hippopotamus (Choeropsis liberiensis). Previous studies have relied on morphological and fossil evidence to identify the ancestral species at the core of this divergence and its timing. In this study, we assembled a molecular matrix of 26 nuclear gene sequences from 11 ungulate species with two primates as an outgroup. We used a Bayesian relaxed molecular clock approach to reconstruct a calibrated time tree for Cetartiodactyla and estimate the divergence date between the common and pygmy hippopotamus. While previous morphological studies have estimated this event to have occurred sometime during the Late Miocene (between 11.6 and 5.3 million years ago), our nuclear gene-based estimates suggest a more recent split of about 4.04 Ma (95% confidence interval: 8.31–1.97 Ma) via RelTime-ML or 2.4 Ma (95% confidence interval: 3.1–1.6 Ma) via MCMCTree. These more recent estimates correspond with the Early Pliocene – Early Pleistocene sub-epochs and align most closely with the results of previous genomic studies. We discuss how our results compare with previous estimates based on both morphological and molecular studies, some of which extend the predicted range of this divergence date even further back in time. Our results suggest a different path of evolution for the understudied pygmy hippopotamus and reveal that morphological evidence alone may not resolve the correct hippopotamid phylogenetic and time trees. We suggest that the common and pygmy hippopotamus may be phylogenetically closer than once believed. Our results also call for further studies to develop a combined approach incorporating both molecular and morphological evidence to reach a consensus on the evolutionary patterns and timing that led to modern hippopotamid evolution. 

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