#  Five Questions with Javier Ortega-Hernández 

 





September 05, 2025

 

 

     ![Fossil of Elrathia kingi from the Wheeler Shale](/sites/g/files/omnuum6811/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-09/Elrathia%20kingi%20from%20the%20Wheeler%20Shale%20%7C%20PHOTOGRAPH%20COURTESY%20OF%20JAVIER%20ORTEGA-HERNA%CC%81ndez.png?itok=Dys6wIsB) 

*Elrathia kingi* from the Wheeler Shale.  Photograph courtesy of Javier Ortega-Hernández.



 



 

Professor Javier Ortega-Hernández, curator of invertebrate paleontology in the MCZ, was featured in [Harvard Magazine's Five Questions](https://www.harvardmagazine.com/five-questions/harvard-professor-javier-ortega-hernandez-evolutionary-biology). Javier's research examines the origins and evolution of invertebrate life, with a focus on the remarkable biodiversity that emerged during the Paleozoic Era. He is especially interested in the early history of molting animals (*Ecdysozoa*), including the extinct ancestors of modern arthropods (insects, spiders, crustaceans), tardigrades (“water bears”), and velvet worms.



 

 

 



 

 See also:- [ Faculty News ](/news-type/faculty-news)
- [ 2025 ](/news-year/2025)