Brian Beatty, Ph.D., specializes in evolutionary biology, paleontology, anatomy, and paleopathology. His research focuses on marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, and manatees, as well as hoofed mammals such as camels, deer, and extinct forms. In addition to teaching courses on the musculoskeletal and nervous systems and gross anatomy, Brian serves as managing editor of the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology and runs his own blog, The Aquatic Amniote, where he shares news and insights about marine mammals, marine reptiles, and the evolution of aquatic amniotes.
He is also a research collaborator for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History and a research associate for the Virginia Museum of Natural History and the University of Kansas Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center.
Brian received his Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas, master’s degree in anatomy at Howard University, and bachelor’s degree in zoology with a minor in geology at the University of Florida.
Recent Projects and Research
- Evolution and development of whale, dolphin, and porpoise skulls
- Studies of the effects of intravascular lithotripsy on stent polymer coatings
- Surface metrology of healthy and pathological skin and nails
- MicroCT of atherosclerosis, combined with surface metrology and histopathology
- 3D microtopographical characterization of colon epithelium in humans and mouse models
- Dental microwear studies of the role of abrasives in diets
- Paleontological field projects, discovering fossils in Jamaica, Baja California Mexico, the Pacific Northwest, and Southeastern North America
Selected Publications or Presentations
- Beatty, Brian; Shin, Doosup; Wolff, Eric; Shearer, Michael; Saggio, Gregory; Shlofmitz, Evan; Jeremias, Allen; Moses, Jeffrey W; Shlofmitz, Richard A; Ali, Ziad A 2024. Quantitative In Vitro Investigation of Polymer Damage on Drug-Eluting Stents Resulting from Intravascular Lithotripsy. JACC Cardiovascular Interventions 17(2):320–322
- Liu, Jiawen; Wang, Lihua; Beatty, Brian L; Zhang, Gary; Wang, Tao; Bi, Shundong 2023. New material (Tritylodontidae, Mammaliamorpha) from the lower Jurassic of Lufeng and its implication on the taxonomy of Lufengia. Historical Biology 35(9):1605–1615
- Werth, Alexander J; Beatty, Brian L 2023. Osteological correlates of evolutionary transitions in cetacean feeding and related oropharyngeal functions. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 11:1179804
- Boessenecker, Robert W; Beatty, Brian L; Geisler, Jonathan H 2023. New specimens and species of the Oligocene toothed baleen whale Coronodon from South Carolina and the origin of Neoceti. PeerJ 11:e14795
- Beatty, Brian Lee 2023. Further desmostylian remains from the upper Oligocene of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 68(2): 373–378
- Dickinson, Edwin; Young, Melody W; DeLeon, David; Bas, Burcak; Zou, Bettina; Ratkiewicz, Aleksandra; Beatty, Brian L; Granatosky, Michael C 2023. Tail feather strength in tail-assisted climbing birds is achieved through geometric, not material change. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 290(1998): 20222325
- Goswami, Anjali; Noirault, Eve; Coombs, Ellen J; Clavel, Julien; Fabre, Anne-Claire; Halliday, Thomas JD; Churchill, Morgan; Curtis, Abigail; Watanabe, Akinobu; Simmons, Nancy B 2023. Developmental origin underlies evolutionary rate variation across the placental skull. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 378(1880):20220083
- Prothero, Donald R., Beatty, Brian L. Marriott, Katherine 2023. Systematics of the long-nosed Floridatraguline camels (Artiodactyla: Camelidae). New Mexico Museum of Natural History Bulletin.
- Beatty, Brian Lee; Li, Edward; Anekwe, Adaeze 2023. Areal roughness of the dorsal nail plate. International Journal of Dermatology and Venereology 10:1097
- Hoehmann, Christopher L; Beatty, Brian Lee 2022. Surface metrology of bone surface attachments of knee ligaments. The Anatomical Record 305(1):52–65
- Ciano, Joseph; Beatty, Brian Lee 2022. Regional variation in the density of Meissner's corpuscles in human fingers. Annals of Anatomy-Anatomischer Anzeiger 243:151946
- Mihlbachler, Matthew C; Rusnack, Frances; Beatty, Brian Lee 2022. Experimental approaches to assess the effect of composition of abrasives in the cause of dental microwear. Royal Society Open Science 9(6):211549
- Goswami, Anjali; Noirault, Eve; Coombs, Ellen J; Clavel, Julien; Fabre, Anne-Claire; Halliday, Thomas JD; Churchill, Morgan; Curtis, Abigail; Watanabe, Akinobu; Simmons, Nancy B 2022. Attenuated evolution of mammals through the Cenozoic. Science 378(6618):377–383
- Smaers, JB; Rothman, RS; Hudson, DR; Balanoff, AM; Beatty, B; Dechmann, DKN; de Vries, D; Dunn, JC; Fleagle, JG; Gilbert, CC 2021. The evolution of mammalian brain size. Science Advances 7(18):eabe2101
Professional Honors and Awards
- NYITCOM SGA 2024 Faculty Mentor Award
- NYITCOM Standard of Excellence Award
- Guest Professor, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
Courses Taught at New York Tech
- Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine – Histology, Anatomy, and Embryology lectures
- Foundations of Osteopathic Medicine – Anatomy Lab, including Radiology
- PPOM I and II – Histology and Embryology lectures
- Research Methods
- Experimental Biomechanics
- MMPU 820 Anatomy Laboratory Trainer