Anatomy Research
Embryology
The adult phenotype is the result of myriad developmental processes that proceed during the growth of an individual. Without knowing the developmental origins of anatomical structures, we are unable to gain a mechanistic understanding of how phenotypes evolve and diversify. Through comparative embryology and manipulative experiments, we pursue answers to a range of biological questions, such as “How did horses lose their digits (and where did the other digits end up)?” and “Which aspects of the skull anatomy are affected the most by muscle action and paralysis?”
Faculty
Land-Sea Transitions
All tetrapods (four-legged vertebrates and their descendants) evolved from fish resembling the modern coelacanth and lungfish. After diversifying on land, several tetrapod groups, such as whales and extinct reptiles like plesiosaurs, re-entered and adapted to aquatic environments. We study these transitions and the anatomical adaptations that allowed these groups to thrive in drastically different environments. See more of our research into the Evolution of Cetacea (dolphins, whales, and porpoises).
Faculty
Locomotion And Functional Morphology
We employ biomechanical principles to investigate and analyze how extant animals move and interact with their environments. By understanding how living animals function, we attempt to uncover the underlying principles that unite biological movement broadly, to understand how fossil animals may have moved and lived, and to unravel how evolutionary constraints influence biomechanical performance.
Faculty
Nathan Thompson
Laboratory and Field-Based Kinematics, Origins of Bipedalism, Primate Locomotor Evolution
Microwear and Paleoecology
When we eat, tiny scratches and pits develop on the enamel surface of our teeth. Microwear and mesowear analyses quantify the patterns created by interactions with food or substrates, allowing us to infer the ecology of fossil organisms by comparing those patterns to those of living species. Our faculty have been at the forefront in advancing dental wear methods.
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Paleobiology
Our faculty have a wide range of taxonomic and methodological expertise in studying past life on earth. We have contributed to the discovery of new fossil species and participated in and led paleontological fieldwork around the globe.
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Phylogenetics and Comparative Methods
Phylogenetics is the study of evolutionary relationships among species. It closely aligns with comparative methods, which employ statistical approaches to test morphological changes considering shared evolutionary history. We explore the relationships among diverse groups of organisms from early diapsids to primates and examine various factors that have shaped their evolutionary paths. We have expertise in various tree-building methodologies as well as landmark and landmark-free geometric morphometrics.
Faculty
Sensory Systems
Sensory organs play a crucial role in how animals perceive and engage with their environments. Our research explores the relationship between different sensory systems and animal ecology and behavior, as well as the evolutionary trajectory of these systems across vertebrates.
