| Lawrence M. Witmer,
PhD
|
| |
Research Statement
WitmerLab at Ohio University
explores the functional morphology of vertebrates. A major
focus has been the soft tissues of the heads of dinosaurs, and
so, vertebrate paleontology is an important activity. But, since fossils
tend to preserve only bones and teeth, we also study modern-day animals. As
a result, our projects are diverse, ranging from studies of
the nasal apparatus of Diplodocus
to the brain and ear of T. rex
to the horns of rhinos to the
airflow in alligator heads, and so
on. We use traditional techniques, as well as the latest in high-tech imaging and
3D visualization. Anatomy is our stock-in-trade, because anatomical details record the evolution of
adaptation. Their study provides a better understanding of
the vertebrate head: how it works—from physiology to
biomechanics—and how it evolves.
WitmerLab News!
| Keeping a cool head –
Different dinosaurs evolved different cooling
strategies.
An
article appeared in the Anatomical Record
that showed that different kinds of large
dinosaurs solved problems associated with
overheating and heatstroke by using different
vascular heat exchangers as cooling regions. (2019-10-16) • PDF: Porter, W. R., and L. M. Witmer. 2019. Vascular patterns in the heads of dinosaurs: evidence for blood vessels, sites of thermal exchange, and their role in physiological thermoregulatory strategies. Anatomical Record. • Project Page with Common Language Summary, images, GIFs, movie, Sketchfab, etc. |
|
| Low variability in
inner ear shape within a population of wild
turkey
lends confidence to paleobiological studies.
An
article appeared in
the PeerJ
that used 3D geometric
morphometric approaches to show that
intraspecific variability was very low in wild
turkey labyrinths, suggesting that
paleobiological studies with small sample sizes
may still be valid. (2019-07-23) • PDF: Cerio, D. G., and L. M. Witmer. 2019. Intraspecific variability and symmetry of the inner-ear labyrinth in a population of wild turkeys: implications for paleontological reconstructions. PeerJ 7:e7355 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7355. |
|
|---|---|
| 3D biomechanical
modeling shows that the skull of
Tyrannosaurus rex was functionally akinetic
.
An
article appeared in
the Anatomical
Record
that used 3D modeling
approaches to compare extant species with
cranial kinesis to T. rex,
showing that T. rex
lacked the hallmark attributes of
kinesis. (2019-07-22) • PDF: Cost, I. N., K. M. Middleton, S. Echols, L. M. Witmer, J. L. Davis, and C. M. Holliday. 2019. Palatal biomechanics and its significance for cranial kinesis in Tyrannosaurus rex. Anatomical Record https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.24219. |
 |
| New functional
interpretations of the skull roof anatomy of
archosaurs.
An
article appeared in
the Anatomical
Record
that reinterprets the
frontoparietal fossa as housing vasculature
potentially associated with physiology rather
than jaw musculature. (2019-07-15) • PDF: Holliday, C. M., W. R. Porter, K. Vliet, and L. M. Witmer. 2019. The frontoparietal fossa and dorsotemporal fenestra of archosaurs and their significance for interpretations of vascular and muscular anatomy. Anatomical Record https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.24218. |
 |
| New website for the WitmerLab Skull Cast Collection. We launched a new and much improved website to deliver the more than 2200 photos of the almost 80 skull casts in our collection: https://www.witmerlab.com/collection-types . This site replaces the site we've had for many years ( http://bit.ly/2HT7Qee ). Thanks to OU freshman Anna Brant for her work on designing the new site, and thanks to former WitmerLab grad student Amy Martiny who did all the photography almost a decade ago. (2019-04- 26) | 
|
| Statistical analysis of
patterns of shape variat
ion
in archosaurs provides new insight into skull
evolution.
An
article appeared in
the Integrative and Comparative Biology
that
used high-dimensional geometric morphometric
analyses to show that archosaurs have stable
patterns of trait integration despite high
diversity of skull form and function.. (2019-04-24) • PDF: Felice, R. N., A. Watanabe, A. Cuff, D. Pol, L. M. Witmer, M. A. Norell, P. M. O'Connor, and A. Goswami. 2019. Evolutionary integration and modularity in the archosaur cranium. Integrative and Comparative Biology 59(2):371–382. |
 |
| Agility and turning
speed in tyrannosaurs
.
An
article appeared in PeerJ
that presents agility estimates based on
biomechanics and comparative methods to reveal
that tyrannosaurids had much greater turning
abilities than other theropods of similar body
size. (2019-02-21) • PDF: Snively, E. D., H. O'Brien, D. M. Henderson, H. Mallison, L. A. Surring, M. E. Burns, T. R. Holtz, Jr., A. P. Russell, L. M. Witmer, P. J. Currie, S. A. Hartman, and J. R. Cotton. 2019. Lower rotational inertia and larger leg muscles indicate more rapid turns in tyrannosaurids than in other large theropods. PeerJ 7:e6432 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6432. |
|
| Nasal air conditioners
helped armored dinosaurs keep a cool head.
An
article appeared in PLOS ONE
that uses computational fluid
dynamics analyses and restoration of blood-flow
patterns to show that "krazy-straw" nasal
cavities of ankylosaurs functioned as efficient
heat exchangers to cool the brain. (2018-12-19) • PDF: Bourke, J. M., W. R. Porter, and L. M. Witmer. 2018. Convoluted nasal passages function as efficient heat exchangers in ankylosaurs (Dinosauria: Ornithischia: Thyreophora). PLOS ONE 13(12): e0207381. • Project Page with Common Language Summary, images, GIF, movie, 3D-PDFs, etc. |
|
| An atavistic four-eyed
fossil and evolution of the pineal complex
.
A
commentary
article appeared as a Dispatch in Current
Biology
that comments on an article ( http://bit.ly/2Jg5frk
)
about a new fossil monitor lizard with both
parapineal and pineal "eyes." (2018-04-02) • L. M. Witmer. 2018. Paleoneurology: A sight for four eyes. Current Biology . 28(7): R311–R313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.02.071 |
|
| Skull anatomy of the
oviraptorosaurian dinosaur
Avimimus .
An
article appeared in the Journal of Vertebrate
Paleontology
that describes important new
skull fossils from Mongolia of the peculiar
theropod Avimimus
. (2017-08-31) • Tsuihiji, T., L. M. Witmer, M. Watabe, R. Barsbold, K. Tsogtbaatar, S. Suzuki, and P. Khatanbaatar. 2017. New information on the cranial morphology of Avimimus (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology e1347177 (12 pages). DOI: 10.1080/02724634.2017.1347177. |
|
| WitmerLab graduate student successes. Doctoral student JP Nassif received a three-year National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) as well as advanced to candidacy by passing her qualifying exams. Doctoral student Don Cerio received significant research grants from the OU Student Enhancement Award fund and the Jurassic Foundation. Doctoral Student Catherine Early received a prestigious NSF Graduate Research Internship (GRIP) to work at the Smithsonian this summer. (2017-06-05) | 
|
| Best practices for open
data.
An article appeared in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B
that
discusses best practices for open data in the
digital morphology era. (2017-04-12) • Davies, T. G., I. A. Rahman, S. Lautenschlager, J. A. Cunningham, R. J. Asher, P. M. Barrett, K. T. Bates, S. Bengtson, R. B. J. Benson, D. M. Boyer, J. Braga, J. A. Bright, L. P.A.M. Claessens, P. G. Cox, X.-P. Dong, A. R. Evans, P. L. Falkingham, M. Friedman, R. J. Garwood, A. Goswami, J. R. Hutchinson, N. S. Jeffery, Z. Johanson, R. Lebrun, C. Martínez-Pérez, J. Marugán-Lobón, P. M. O’Higgins, B. Metscher, M. Orliac, T. B. Rowe, M. Rücklin, M. R. Sánchez-Villagra, N. H. Shubin, S. Y. Smith, J. M. Starck, C. Stringer, A. P. Summers, M. D. Sutton, S. A. Walsh, V. Weisbecker, L. M. Witmer, S. Wroe, Z. Yin1, E. J. Rayfield, and P. C. J. Donoghue. 2017. Open data and digital morphology. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 284: 20170194. |
|
| Avian cranial kinesis
and joint histology in ducks.
An
article appeared in the Journal of Anatomy
that details the ontogeny of kinetic joint
formation in ducks, with implications for the
evolution of avian kinesis. (2017-02-17) • Bailleul, A. M., L. M. Witmer, and C. M. Holliday. 2017. Cranial joint histology in the mallard duck ( Anas platyrhynchos ): new insights on avian cranial kinesis. Journal of Anatomy 230:444–460. |
|
| Jurassic
thalattosuchian crocodylomorph braincase and
endocast.
An
article appeared in the Anatomical Record
that
provides new information on the braincase of the
teleosaurid Steneosaurus
with
implications for brain and sinus evolution. (2016-11-06) • Brusatte, S. L., A. Muir, M. T. Young, S. Walsh, L. Steel, and L. M. Witmer. 2016. The braincase and neurosensory anatomy of an Early Jurassic marine crocodylomorph: implications for crocodylian sinus evolution and sensory transitions. Anatomical Record 299:1511–1530. DOI: 10.1002/ar.2346. |
 |
| The Visible Interactive
Pachycephalosaur.
Our 10th
open-access, freely downloadable resource for
education and research. This
website presents 3D PDFs and movies of t
he
3D anatomical structure of the skulls of three
pachycephalosaurian dinosaur specimens ,
along with links to
annotated interactive 3D models on Sketchfab .
(2016-10-25) • Check out the WitmerLab Visible Interactive Pachycephalosaur site • Download the µCT scan data and STLs for 3D printing on MorphoSource |
|
| Blood vessels in the
heads of birds and their physiological
significance
.
An
article appeared in the Anatomical Record
that
provides the most comprehensive analysis of
cephalic vasculature in birds and explores the
controversial function of a cephalic heat
exchanger. (2016-10-13) • Porter, W. R. and L. M. Witmer. 2016. Avian cephalic vascular anatomy, sites of thermal exchange, and the rete ophthalmicum. Anatomical Record 299:1461–1486. doi:10.1002/ar.23375 • Note: an interactive 3D PDF is embedded within the document on the seventh page similar to other figures • Download the 3D PD F as a separate file on Dryad • DICOM data download for injected specimens of two turkeys and two cormorants on Dryad |
|
| Blood vessels in the
heads of crocodilians and their physiological
significance
.
An
article appeared in the Journal of Anatomy
that
provides the most comprehensive analysis of
cephalic vasculature in crocodilians in the context
of heat exchange. (2016-09-28) • Porter, W. R, J. C. Sedlmayr, and L. M. Witmer. 2016. Vascular patterns in the heads of crocodilians: blood vessels and sites of thermal exchange. Journal of Anatomy 229:1–25. doi: 10.1111/joa.12539 • Download a PDF of the article complete with the supplemental 3D PDF • Download the supplemental 3D PD F • DICOM data download for three injected alligator and one crocodile specimens on Dryad |
|
| Skull and brain
endocast of
Triopticus primus , a new basal
archosauriform
.
An
article appeared in Current Biology
that names
and describes a new basal archosauriform from
Texas and analyzes evolutionary convergence with
later dinosaurs. (2016-09-22) • Stocker, M. R., S. J. Nesbitt, K. E. Criswell, W. G. Parker, L. M. Witmer, T. B. Rowe, R. C. Ridgely, and M. A. Brown. 2016. A dome-headed stem-archosaur exemplifies convergence among dinosaurs and their distant relatives. Current Biology 26:2676–2680. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.066. • Download a PDF of the article • View a YouTube video of the rotating skull with endocast • View 3D interactive Sketchfab animations of the annotated skull and skull & endocast together • Download the CT scan data on MorphoSource |
|
| Aerodynamic baffles in
bird nasal cavities
.
An
article appeared in Respiratory Physiology &
Neurobiology
that presents 3D modeling of
nasal airflow in turkeys, revealing the role of
nasal conchae in airstreaming. (2016-09-12) • Bourke, J. M., and L. M. Witmer. 2016. Nasal conchae function as aerodynamic baffles: Experimental computational fluid dynamic analysis in a turkey nose (Aves: Galliformes). Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology 234:32–46. • Download a PDF of the article |
 |
| The Visible Interactive
Parrot.
An
open-access, freely downloadable resource for
education and research. This
website presents 3D PDFs and movies of t
he
3D anatomical structure of the skull of a
scarlet macaw (Ara macao
) ,
along with links to
annotated interactive 3D models on Sketchfab .
(2016-06-20) • Check out the WitmerLab Visible Interactive Parrot site • Download the µCT scan data and STLs for 3D printing on MorphoSource |
|
| Skull and brain
endocast of
Sarmientosaurus , a new basal titanosaurian sauropod
.
An
article appeared in PLOS ONE
that names
and describes a new dinosaur from Argentina. (2016-04-26) • Martínez, R. D. F., M. C. Lamanna, F. E. Novas, R. C. Ridgely, G. A. Casal, J. Martínez, J. R. Vita, and L. M. Witmer. 2016. A basal lithostrotian titanosaur (Dinosauria: Sauropoda) with a complete skull: Implications for the evolution and paleobiology of Titanosauria. PLoS ONE 11(4): e0151661. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0151661. • Download a PDF of the article • Download a 3D PDF of the skull and brain endocast • View a YouTube video of the rotating skull with endocast or of the labeled skull • View annotated 3D interactive Sketchfab animations of the skull , brain endocast , and skull & endocast together |
 |
| Enhanced visualization
of soft-tissues with µCT—diceCT: Diffusible
Iodine-based Contrast-Enhanced Computed
Tomography.
An
open-access article appeared in the
Journal of Anatomy
that explores the
benefits and technical intricacies of iodine
staining for µCT. (2016-03-11) • Gignac, P. M., N. J. Kley, J. A. Clarke, M. W. Colbert, A. C. Morhardt, D. Cerio, I. N. Cost, P. G. Cox, J. D. Daza, C. M. Early, M. S. Echols, R. M. Henkelman, A. N. Herdina, C. M. Holliday, Z. Li, K. Mahlow, S. Merchant, J. Müller, C. P. Orsbon, D. J. Paluh. M. L. Thies, H. P. Tsai, and L. M. Witmer. 2016. Diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography (diceCT): an emerging tool for rapid, high-resolution, 3-D imaging of metazoan soft tissues. Journal of Anatomy 228(6):889–909. doi: 10.1111/joa.12449. • Download a PDF of the article • Visit the diceCT website |
|
| Postnatal development
of the head arterial patterns of giraffe.
An
article appeared in PeerJ
that compares
the vascular patterns of different age classes
of giraffe. (2016-02-16) • O’Brien, H. D., P. M. Gignac, T. L. Hieronymus, and L. M. Witmer. 2016. A comparison of postnatal arterial patterns in a growth series of giraffe (Artiodactyla: Giraffa camelopardali s). PeerJ 4:e1696; DOI 10.7717/peerj.1696. • Download a PDF of the article • View a YouTube video of the adult skull and blood vessels |
 |
| Skull of
the early ornithischian dinosaur
Lesothosaurus .
An
article appeared in PeerJ
that uses CT
scanning and 3D visualization to describe the
skull of Lesothosaurus
. (2015-12-21) • Porro, L. B., L. M. Witmer, and P. M. Barrett. 2015. Digital preparation and osteology of the skull of Lesothosaurus diagnosticus (Ornithischia: Dinosauria). PeerJ 3:e1494 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1494. • Download a PDF of the article |
|
| Skull of a new
ankylosaurian
dinosaur from Australia.
An
article appeared in PeerJ
that
describes the skull of the basal ankylosaur
formerly known as Minmi
sp. as Kunbarrasaurus
. (2015-12-08) • Leahey, L. G., R. E. Molnar, K. Carpenter, L. M. Witmer, and S. W. Salisbury. 2015. Cranial osteology of the ankylosaurian dinosaur formerly known as Minmi sp. (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) from the Lower Cretaceous Allaru Mudstone of Richmond, Queensland, Australia. PeerJ 3:e1475. doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1475 • Download a PDF of the article complete with the supplemental 3D PDF • View a YouTube video of the skull, brain endocast, inner ear, and nasal structures • View an annotated 3D interactive Sketchfab animation of the skull • View a 3D interactive Sketchfab animation of the skull, brain endocast, inner ear, etc. |
|
| Blood vessels in the
heads of lizards and their physiological
significance
.
An
article appeared in PLOS ONE
that
provides the most comprehensive analysis of
cephalic vasculature in lizards in the context
of heat exchange. (2015-10-14) • Porter, W. R. and L. M. Witmer. 2015. Vascular patterns in iguanas and other squamates: blood vessels and sites of thermal exchange. PLOS ONE 10(10): e0139215. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0139215. • Download a PDF of the article complete with the supplemental 3D PDF • DICOM data download for five OUVC injected specimens on Dryad • Visit the updated Visible Interactive Iguana site |
|
| Titanosaur sauropod
braincase and endocast evolution based on a new
specimen from Spain.
An
article appeared in PLOS ONE
that looks
at the structure and evolution of titanosaur
neurological evolution. (2015-10-07) • Knoll, F., L. M. Witmer, R. C. Ridgely, F. Ortega, and J. L. Sanz. 2015. A new titanosaurian braincase from the Cretaceous “Lo Hueco” locality in Spain sheds light on neuroanatomical evolution within Titanosauria. PLOS ONE. 10(10): e0138233. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0138233 • Download a PDF of the article complete with the supplemental 3D PDF • DICOM data download on Dryad. |
 |
| Young Scholars OHIO . WitmerLab put on a workshop for a group of "profoundly gifted" students as part of the Young Scholars OHIO program. This year we had 9 students aged 10–15 from six different states. The workshop allowed the kids to work with our >80 skull casts and to interact with WitmerLab members to learn about the science of dinosaurs and to assemble the " Field Guide to the Dinosaurs of the WitmerLab ." Check out the photo album on our Facebook page . (2015-10-05) | 
|
| Building better brain
endocasts.
An
article appeared in
the Journal of
Anatomy
that explores the theory and
practice of generating virtual brain endocasts
from CT scan data. (2015-09-25) • Balanoff, A. M., G. S. Bever, M. Colbert, J. A. Clark, D. Field, P. M. Gignac, D. T. Ksepka, R. C. Ridgely, N. A. Smith, C. Torres, S. Walsh, and L. M. Witmer. 2015. Best practices for digitally constructing endocranial casts: examples from birds and their dinosaurian relatives. Journal of Anatomy . doi: 10.1111/joa.12378. |
 |
| Anatomy and ontogeny of
the middle ear and paratympanic pneumatic
sinuses in alligators with implications for
hearing
.
An
article appeared in PLOS ONE
that examines the developmental anatomy,
scaling, and function of the middle-ear air
sinuses in a growth series of alligator
comprising almost a 20-fold increase in skull
size. (2015-09-23) • Dufeau, D. L., and L. M. Witmer. 2015. Ontogeny of the middle-ear air-sinus system in Alligator mississippiensis (Archosauria: Crocodylia). PLOS ONE 10(9): e0137060. doi:10.1371/journal. pone.0137060E. • Download a PDF of the article complete with the supplemental 3D PDF • DICOM data download for OUVC 10606 on Dryad. • Visit the updated Visible Interactive Alligator site |
|
| Welcome to James Nassif who joins the lab as a new doctoral student. James graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 2014. Welcome, James! (2015-07-22) | |
| Anatomy of the
braincase, endocast,
and other skeletal
remains of titanosaurian sauropod dinosaurs from
Uzbekistan.
An
article appeared in
the Journal of
Vertebrate Paleontology
that
examines the anatomical structure of the
braincase, brain endocast, inner ear, and other
skeletal remains of titanosaurs the
Cretaceous Bissekty Formation of Uzbekistan. (2015-02-05) • Sues, H.-D., A. O. Averianov, R. C. Ridgely, and L. M. Witmer. 2015. Titanosauria (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous Bissekty Formation of Uzbekistan. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 35(1):e889145-1–e889145-14. • Download supplemental figures of the braincase and endocast • Download a 3D PDF of the braincase, brain endocast, and labyrinth: small (5 MB) , medium (16 MB) , large (30 MB) Note: save 3D PDFs to your computer before running. • Download the original CT scan data in DICOM format (51 MB): WitmerLab site , figshare |
 |
| Skull anatomy
in the therizinosauroid dinosaur
Erlikosaurus .
An
article appeared in
the Journal of
Vertebrate Paleontology
that
examines the anatomical structure of the skull in the
Cretaceous Mongolian therizinosauroid theropod Erlikosaurus
. (2014-11-04) • Lautenschlager, S., L. M. Witmer, Perle A., L. E. Zanno, and E. J. Rayfield. 2014. Cranial anatomy of Erlikosaurus andrewsi (Dinosauria, Therizinosauria): new insights based on digital reconstruction. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 34(6):1263–1291. • Download a 3D PDF of the restored fossil skull of Erlikosaurus • Download a 3D PDF of the original fossil skull of Erlikosaurus |
 |
| The Visible Interactive
Moa.
An
open-access, freely downloadable resource for
education and research. This
website presents 3D PDFs and movies of t
he
3D anatomical structure of the skull of a moa (Dinornis robustus
), an extinct giant
flightless bird from New Zealand .
(2014-10-26) • Check out the WitmerLab Visible Interactive Moa site |
|
| Restoring nasal anatomy
and airflow in dinosaurs.
An
article appeared in the Anatomical Record
that explores
breathing and brain-temperature regulation of
pachycephalosaurs like Stegoceras
using
soft-tissue
reconstruction and computational fluid dynamics. (2014-10-14) • Bourke, J. M., Wm. R. Porter, R. C. Ridgely, T. R. Lyson, E. R. Schachner, P. R. Bell, and L. M. Witmer. 2014. Breathing life into dinosaurs: tackling challenges of soft-tissue restoration and nasal airflow in extinct species. Anatomical Record 297:2148–2186. • Check out the animation on YouTube video • Check out the AR WOW supplemental animation • Check out the Project Page for more images, movies, PDFs downloads, and the news release. |
|
| The Visible Interactive
Bobcat.
An
open-access, freely downloadable resource for
education and research. This
website presents 3D PDFs and movies of t
he
3D anatomical structure of the skull of an Ohio
bobcat ( Lynx rufus
) .
The site also provides
downloads of the full µCT scan datasets and a 3D
printable STL file.
The bobcat is
the sports mascot for Ohio University, so one
goal is to connect, in some small way,
intercollegiate athletics to science.
(2014-10-02) • Check out the WitmerLab Visible Interactive Bobcat site |
|
| Alexandra Spaw completes her thesis and starts med school. Lexie Spaw completed her undergraduate honors thesis entitled "Fetal Developmental Anatomy of the Human Cardiovascular and Central Nervous Systems Using Lugol’s Iodine Staining and Micro-Computed Tomography," graduated Magna Cum Laude from OU, and will start med school at the Ohio State University College of Medicine this summer. Congratulations, Lexie! (2014-05-03) | 
|
| Skeletal density
evolution in Antarctic fishes.
An
article appeared in
the Journal of Morphology
that explores the
evolutionary divergence in skeletal density in
Antarctic notothenioid fishes that lack swim
bladders yet live in the water column. (2014-03-05) • download the article on the Journal of Morphology website • download the article on OU's site: Eastman, J. T., L. M. Witmer, R. C. Ridgely, and K. L. Kuhn. 2014. Divergence in skeletal mass and bone morphology in Antarctic notothenioid fishes. Journal of Morphology 275:841–861. DOI 10.1002/jmor.20258. |
|
| Evolution of tooth loss
and beaks in theropod dinosaurs.
An
article appeared in PNAS
( the Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences
)
that
explores the functional consequences of
edentulism (tooth loss) and evolution of a
rhamphotheca (a horny beak), focusing on the
peculiar theropod dinosaur Erlikosaurus
. (2013-12-03) • download the open-access article on the PNAS website • download the article on OU's site: Lautenschlager, S., L. M. Witmer, Perle A., and E. J. Rayfield. 2013. Edentulism, beaks, and biomechanical innovations in the evolution of theropod dinosaurs. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110:20657–20662 . doi:10.1073/pnas.1310711110. |
 |
| Young Scholars OHIO . WitmerLab once again hosted a group of "profoundly gifted" students as part of the Young Scholars OHIO program. This year we had 11 students aged 10–14 from several different states and three countries. We put on a workshop on 1 Oct 2013 that allowed the kids to work with our >80 skull casts and to interact with WitmerLab members to learn about the science of dinosaurs and to assemble the " Field Guide to the Dinosaurs of the WitmerLab ." Check out the photo album on our Facebook page . A good time was had by al! (2013-10-04) | 
|
| Science Café. Witmer and the whole WitmerLab team gave a successful Science Café to a packed house at the Front Room on the OU campus. The discussion surrounded how we go about "Fleshing Out Dinosaurs...in 3D!" The audience ranged from preschoolers to emeritus professors and were eager participants for onstage demonstrations. Check out the archived HD video on Livestream or the album on our Facebook page . (2013-10-04) | 
|
| WitmerLab Circle of Life. We welcome three new students to the lab as we wish farewell to a departing lab member. Welcome to (1) OU Honors Tutorial College undergrad Elsa Heiner (top left), who is doing her thesis on the hyolingual apparatus of diapsids; (2) doctoral student Catherine Early (top right), who joins us from North Carolina State University; and (3) master's student Shayna Knece (bottom left), who is in OU's Patton College of Education and studying the delivery of primary scientific research to multiple grade levels. And farewell to Eric Snively (bottom right), who has been with us since 2010 and left us to start a tenure-track job at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse. (2013-10-04) | 
|
| The Visible Interactive
Opossum.
An
open-access, freely downloadable resource for
education and research. This
website presents 3D PDFs and movies of t
he
3D anatomical structure of the entire body of a
pouch young of a Virginia opossum ( Didelphis
virginiana
). The site also provides
downloads of the full µCT scan datasets for two
individuals.
(2013-07-01) • Check out the WitmerLab Visible Interactive Opossum site |
|
| Feeding biomechanics in
the marsupial saber-tooth
Thylacosmilus and the placental saber-tooth
Smilodon .
An
article appeared in PLOS ONE
that compares the mechanics of saber-toothed
predation in a metatherian and placental,
exploring the extent of convergent evolution. (2013-06-28) • Wroe, S., C. Uphar, W. C. H. Parr, P. Clausen, R. C. Ridgely, and L. M. Witmer. 2013. Comparative biomechanical modeling of metatherian and placental saber-tooths: A different kind of bite for an extreme pouched predator. PLOS ONE 8(6): e66888. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0066888 • Check out the photo album on the WitmerLab Facebook page |
|
| Brain size in
tyrannosaurid dinosaurs.
An
article appeared in the book Tyrannosaurid
Paleobiology
that presents a quantitative
study of relative brain size in tyrannosaurs. (2013-06-28) • Hurlburt, G. R., R. C. Ridgely, and L. M. Witmer. 2013. Relative size of brain and cerebrum in tyrannosaurid dinosaurs: an analysis using brain-endocast quantitative relationships in extant alligators. Pp. 134–154 In J. M. Parrish, R. E. Molnar, P. J. Currie, and E. B. Koppelhus (eds.) Tyrannosaurid Paleobiology. Indiana University Press, Bloomington. |
|
| Engineering approaches
and the Visible Interactive Dinosaur project
shed new light on dinosaur feeding styles.
An
article appeared in Palaeontologia
Electronica
that explores the feeding
biology of Allosaurus
using soft-tissue
reconstruction and multibody dynamics. (2013-05-21) • Snively, E. D., J. Cotton, R. C. Ridgely, and L. M. Witmer. 2013. Multibody dynamics model of head and neck function in Allosaurus (Dinosauria, Theropoda). Palaeontologia Electronica 16.2.11A. • Check out the YouTube video • Check out the Project Page for more images, movies, PDFs downloads, and the news release. |
|
| Braincase, endocast,
and inner ear of a titanosaurian sauropod dinosaur
from Spain.
An
article appeared in PLOS ONE
that
examines the structure of the braincase, brain
endocast, and inner ear of the Late Cretaceous
sauropod Ampelosaurus
sp.. (2013-01-23) • Knoll, F., R. C. Ridgely, F. Ortega, J. L. Sanz, and L. M. Witmer. 2013. Neurocranial osteology and neuroanatomy of a Late Cretaceous titanosaurian sauropod from Spain ( Ampelosaurus sp.). PLOS ONE 8(1): e54991. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0054991. • Download a PDF of the article from the WitmerLab site • Check out the YouTube video • Check out Brian Switek's blog post |
|
| Brain structure in the
therizinosauroid dinosaur
Erlikosaurus .
An
article appeared in PLOS ONE
that
examines the structure of the brain and sensory
systems in the therizinosauroid theropods. (2012-12-19) • Lautenschlager, S., E. J. Rayfield, Perle A., L. E. Zanno, and L. M. Witmer. 2012. The endocranial anatomy of Therizinosauria and its implications for sensory and cognitive function. PLOS ONE 7(12): e52289. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0052289. • Download a PDF of the article from the WitmerLab site • Check out the YouTube video |
|
| Feature article in
Perspectives magazine.
Ohio
University's award-winning research magazine Perspectives
ran a feature article entitled
"Digital Dinosaurs" on Witmer and the latest
research directions in WitmerLab
(2012-11-29). • Read the "Digital Dinosaurs" article in Perspectives written by Adam Liebendorfer (PDF) (Webpage) • Read the whole Fall/Winter 2012 issue of Perspectives online or as a PDF . |
|
| The Visible Interactive
Ostrich.
An
open-access, freely downloadable resource for
education and research. This
website presents 3D PDFs and movies of t
he
3D anatomical structure of the head and skull of
the ostrich, Struthio camelus
.
(2012-10-01) • Check out the WitmerLab Visible Interactive Ostrich site |
|
| The Visible Interactive
Iguana.
An
open-access, freely downloadable resource for
education and research. This
website presents 3D PDFs and movies of t
he
3D anatomical structure of the head and skull of
the green iguana, Iguana iguana
.
(2012-09-27) • Check out the WitmerLab Visible Interactive Iguana site |
|
| The Visible Interactive
Rhino
.
An
open-access, freely downloadable resource for education and research. This
website presents CT scan data, 3D PDFs, movies,
and behind-the-scenes photo albums. This work
derives from our efforts to help the veterinary
treatment of rhinos injured in horn-poaching
incidents in South Africa.
(2012-09-20) • Check out the WitmerLab Visible Interactive Rhino site • Support the conservation effort of rhinos at the Kariega Game Reserve's site |
|
| Feeding biomechanics in
the sauropod dinosaur
Diplodocus .
An
article appeared in Naturwissenschaften
that
uses engineering approaches such as finite
element analysis (FEA) to explore the feeding
behavior of the Jurassic sauropod
dinosaur Diplodocus
. (2012-07-16) • Young, M. T., E. J. Rayfield, , C. M. Holliday, L. M. Witmer, D. J. Button, P. Upchurch, and P. M. Barrett. 2012. Cranial biomechanics of Diplodocus (Dinosauria, Sauropoda): testing hypotheses of feeding behaviour in an extinct megaherbivore. Naturwissenschaften .99:637–643. |
|
| Welcome to Don Cerio who joins the lab as a new doctoral student. Don graduated from Cornell University in 2009, after which he was a research assistant in Kim Bostwick's lab at Cornell and later a research assistant at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Welcome, Don! Exciting times ahead! (2012-07-09) |
|
| Anatomy of the muscular
system of dinosaurs.
An article appeared in the 2nd edition of The
Complete Dinosau
r that discusses the anatomy
and controversies surrounding the muscles of
dinosaurs (2012-07-06) • Dilkes, D. W., J. R. Hutchinson, C. M. Holliday, and L. M. Witmer. 2012. Reconstructing the musculature of dinosaurs. Pp. 150–190 In M. K. Brett-Surman, T. R. Holtz, and J. O. Farlow (eds.) The Complete Dinosaur, 2nd Edition. Indiana University Press, Bloomington. |
|
| Joe Daniel officially became Joseph C. Daniel, PhD! He successfully defended, revised, and submitted his doctoral dissertation, entitled "Heads and Skulls as Sediment Sorters: An Actualistic, CT-Based Study in Taphonomy." He is now a Gross Anatomy Instructor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.Here is his email address . Well done, Joe! (2012-05-23) |
|
| WitmerLab doctoral
students successfully leaped important hurdles!
• Ashley Morhardt passed her Written and Oral Comprehensive Exams • Jason Bourke passed his Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Defense (2012-05-03) |
|
| Braincase, endocast, and
inner ear of a basal sauropod dinosaur.
An article appeared in PLoS ONE
that presents new data on the basal eusauropod
dinosaur Spinophorosaurus
from the
Jurassic of Niger. (2012-01-17) • Knoll, F., L. M. Witmer, F. Ortega, R. C. Ridgely, and D. Schwarz-Wings. 2012. The braincase of the basal sauropod dinosaur Spinophorosaurus and 3D reconstructions of the cranial endocast and inner ear. PLoS ONE 7(1): e30060. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0030060. (8 MB PDF download includes an interactive 3D PDF) • Check out the animation on YouTube 
|
|
| Congratulations to Eric Snively!
Eric
successfully defended his masters thesis
entitled "Rigid Body Mechanics of Prey Capture
in Large Carnivorous Dinosaurs." Yes, Eric
Snively already had a PhD in Biology (2006), but
now also has a masters degree in Engineering,
working with the mechanical engineering and
bioengineering groups here at Ohio University.
(2011-11-18) • Visit Eric's webpage • Check out his master's thesis |
|
| Archaeopteryx
skull
3D PDFs: a freely downloadable resource!
We
scanned some of the skull casts of Archaeopteryx
that we have in our Collection
on the OUµCT
and then made 3D PDFs to share with
the community. These were released on the 150th
anniversary of the naming of Archaeopteryx
lithographica
. (2011-09-30) • Visit the Archaeopteryx 3D PDF website • Read the blog post over at Pick and Scalpel for backstory and context |
|
| The brain and crazy-straw
nose of an armored dinosaur.
An article appeared in the Journal of Anatomy
that presents new data on the anatomy of the
nasal cavity, head vasculature, brain, and inner
ear of Euoplocephalus
. (2011-09-29) • Miyashita, T., V. M. Arbour, L. M. Witmer, and P. J. Currie. 2011. The internal cranial morphology of an armoured dinosaur Euoplocephalus corroborated by X-ray computed tomographic reconstruction. Journal of Anatomy 219:661–675. • Read the blog post over at Pick and Scalpel for backstory and context |
|
| Dave Dufeau officially became David L. Dufeau, PhD! He successfully defended, revised, and submitted his doctoral dissertation, entitled "The evolution of cranial pneumaticity in Archosauria: patterns of paratympanic sinus development." He is now a Lecturer in the Integrative Anatomy program at the University of Missouri. Here is his contact information: Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, M172 Medical Sciences Building, One Hospital Drive, Columbia MO 65212, Phone: (573) 884-2361, web , email: dufeaud@missouri.edu . Congratulations, Dave! (2011-08-19) | |
| 3D Interactive Human Anatomy. An open-access, freely downloadable educational resource was generated for medical students, other health-related students, or any other interested parties, providing labeled interactive movies and 3D PDFs of upper extremity and skull anatomy. (2011-08-06) | 
|
| Archaeopteryx
knocked off its perch as the oldest bird.
A News & Views piece appeared in Nature
to accompany the article by
Xu et al.
on a new fossil from China that
suggests that Archaeopteryx
is no longer
an avialan but rather a basal deinonychosaur.
The N & V piece discusses
the
significance of the finding for the origin and
early evolution of birds and what it means for
the iconic status of Archaeopteryx
(2011-07-27) • Witmer, L. M. 2011. An icon knocked from its perch. Nature 475:458–459. • Read the blog post over at Pick and Scalpel that provides more context. |
|
| WitmerLab doctoral
students successfully leaped important hurdles!
• William Porter passed his Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Defense • Jason Bourke passed his Written and Oral Comprehensive Exams (2011-05-16) |
|
| Juvenile Tarbosaurus
shows shifting tyrannosaur lifestyles
: A new
article was published as the Feature Article in
the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
: • Download a PDF of the published article • Visit the Project Page • Read the blog post over at Pick and Scalpel that provides back story and context (2011-05-09) |
|
| Young Scholars OHIO : WitmerLab once again hosted a group of "profoundly gifted" students as part of the Young Scholars OHIO program. This year we had 15 students aged 6–11 from nine different states. We put on a workshop on 2 May 2011 that allowed the kids to work with our >70 skull casts and to interact with all 10 WitmerLab members to learn about the science of dinosaurs and to assemble the " Field Guide to the Dinosaurs of the WitmerLab ." A good time was had by al! (2011-05-03) | |
| The Visible Interactive
Alligator
, an
open-access, freely downloadable,
collaborative resource for education and
research from the WitmerLab at Ohio University
and the Holliday Lab at the University of
Missouri, launches. • Check out the WitmerLab Visible Interactive Alligator site • Check out the Holliday Lab 3D Alligator site • Check out the blog post over at Pick and Scalpel that provides back story and technical details. (2011-04-18) |
|
| Evolution of the
sense of smell in birds and other dinosaurs
. A
new article was published in Proceedings of
the Royal Society B
: • Download a PDF of the published article, along with the Supplementary Information: Zelenitsky, D. K., F. Therrien, R. C. Ridgely, A. R. McGee, and L. M. Witmer. 2011. Evolution of olfaction in non-avian theropod dinosaurs and birds. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 278:3625–3634 . • Visit the Project Page • Find out the back story in Witmer's blog post at Pick and Scalpel (2011-04-13) |
|
| Dinosaur limb cartilage
: Casey Holliday and other past and present
WitmerLab members published an article in the
open-access, freely available online journal PLoS ONE
: Holliday, C. M., R. C. Ridgely, J. C. Sedlmayr, and L. M. Witmer. 2010. Cartilaginous epiphyses in extant archosaurs and their implications for reconstructing limb function in dinosaurs. PLoS ONE 5(9): e13120. • Download a PDF of the article with Supporting Information • Find out the back story on Witmer's blog post on Pick-and-Scalpel • Visit Casey Holliday's site at the University of Missouri for even more resources (2010-09-30) |
|
| Terror Birds!
A new article was published
in the open-access, freely available online
journal PLoS ONE
: Degrange, F. J., C. P. Tambussi, K. Moreno, L. M. Witmer, and S. Wroe. 2010. Mechanical analysis of feeding behavior in the extinct "terror bird" Andalgalornis steulleti (Gruiformes: Phorusrhacidae). PLOS ONE 5(8): e11856. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.001185 • Visit the Project Page for a Common Language Summary, PDF download of the article, and other content • Visit a page with Additional Resources, such as news releases, images, movies, animations, and more • Visit the WitmerLab Facebook page for a photo album (2010-08-18) |
 |
| ICVM-9 Uruguay : Larry Witmer, Dave Dufeau, and WitmerLab alumnus Casey Holliday attended and gave platform presentation at the 9th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology (ICVM) in Punta del Este, Uruguay. The program is available for download here . Witmer was installed as President of the International Society of Vertebrate Morphology at the Congress. (2010-08-04) |
|
| Bird beak evolution : Tobin Hieronymus (NEOUCOM) and Larry Witmer published an article on bird beak evolution in the Auk , the major ornithological journal in North America. This article derives from one of the chapters from Tobin's doctoral dissertation research done in our lab. Download the PDF below. (2010-08-04) |
|
| We welcome Ashley Morhardt to Ohio University and the WitmerLab as our newest doctoral student. Ashley received her Masters degree In Matt Bonnan's lab at Western Illinois University. Welcome, Ashley! (2010-07-21) | |
| WitmerLab members paused for a group photo , expertly arranged and photographed by Amy Martiny, leading to a major update of the WitmerLab Group Shots webpage. (2010-07-08) | 
|
| The Young Scholars OHIO program brought about 35 profoundly gifted students aged 6–16 from 10 states across the country to Ohio University for a range of enrichment programs. WitmerLab hosted nine of these students on 17 May 2010 for a workshop wherein the students worked with the 50+ dinosaur skull casts in the lab and WitmerLab staff and grad students to learn how paleontologists "flesh out" out the past. In addition to discovering the diversity and drama of dinosaur evolution, the students created this Field Guide to the Dinosaurs of the WitmerLab . (2010-05-18) | 
|
| The OU Student Research and Creative Activity Expo was held on 13 May 2010, and WitmerLab people again made a great showing with Dave Dufeau , William Porter , and Jason Bourke all presenting posters and Ryan Ridgely again judging the competition (but not in our category). William won two awards and Dave won a Sigma-Xi award. Well done, team! Go visit our Facebook album with photos of the Expo. (2010-05-14) |
|
Congratulations go to WitmerLab doctoral student William Porter who passed his Written and Oral Comprehensive Exam yesterday. A major hurdle successfully leapt! Well done, William! (2010-05-12) |
 |
| First-year WitmerLab grad student Jason Bourke just was granted a 3-year National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship for his project "Nasal cavity shape in dinosaurs and their relatives and its impact on inferences of airflow and physiology based on a novel computational technique." Check out OU's news release . Keep an eye out for this project as the years go on. Well done, Jason! (2010-04-16) | 
|
| We've finally updated our Facilities page . Check it out to find out what we have to offer in the way of space, equipment, and other resources. The page has some pretty spectacular panoramic images , as well as "virtual reality tours" (QTVR), of lab spaces. (2010-03-18) | 
|
| Abstract Abstracts – word clouds of WitmerLab
articles. Check out our Facebook page album
. A word cloud is a visual display that uses the relative size of a word as a measure of its frequency of use in a document (“common” words are ignored). It provides a remarkably interpretable view of what the document is “about.” For a scientific article, it’s akin to the opening summary or Abstract, but in an artistically abstract form --- so, Abstract Abstracts. We used the free online app Wordle ( http://www.wordle.net/ ). (2010-03-15) |
|
| Biological Illustrations as Art – Danette Pratt, scientific illustrator in the medical school and friend of the WitmerLab, has a long overdue showing of her wonderful work (Trisolini Gallery, Ohio Univ. 18 Feb – 3 Apr 2010). Our Facebook page album emphasize the work she has done with our lab, but the scope of her talents has to be witnessed firsthand. We’ve published several of her illustrations, and this exhibit includes some stunning pieces Danette did for the Clifford & Witmer (2004) moose nose paper . (2010-03-02) | 
|
| We welcome Eric Snively, PhD , to Ohio University and the WitmerLab! Eric got his PhD in 2006 at the University of Calgary with Tony Russell and then went on to a postdoc with Philip Currie at the University of Alberta. He now joins the WitmerLab to work on the evolution of feeding mechanics in dinosaurs and other archosaurs while simultaneously getting additional training in the OU Biomedical Engineering program with John Cotton, PhD . Welcome Eric! (2010-01-30) | |
| We're proud to report that lab alumnus Tobin Hieronymus, who got his PhD here in 2009, just accepted a great tenure-track Assistant Professorship at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM) in Rootstown. He's currently a postdoctoral fellow at NEOUCOM and starts the new job in July. Congratulations, Tobin! (2010-01-14) |
|
| Witmer presented the Annual Address (an invited keynote speech) entitled "Digital dinosaurs: Unlocking the riddles of the past using advanced 3D imaging," at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Palaeontological Association held at the University of Birmingham, England, on Dec 14, 2009. The abstract can be read in the downloadable program PDF . (2009-12-22) |
|
| The Discovery Channel
aired two series that
featured Witmer and research from the lab: 1. "Clash of the Dinosaurs" (premiere 6 Dec 2009): • Witmer appeared on the first three of the four episodes and spoke about lab research on brain, inner ear, and airway structures and their implications for behavior and physiology, drawing on recent lab publications on sauropods , tyrannosaurs , hadrosaurs , and ankylosaurs . • view video clips of the show on Discovery's site 2. "Monsters Resurrected: Biggest Killer Dino" (premiere 6 Dec 2009) • Witmer spoke on the brain, skull structure, and behavior of the theropod dinosaur Spinosaurus • view video clips of the show on Discovery's site (2009-12-22) |
|
| Launch of the WitmerLab Online Skull Cast Photo Project — Our collection of fossil skull casts has become a critical local resource for research and outreach. Given that the previous online photo database was among the most visited part of the WitmerLab site, yet was almost a decade old, we undertook a new project to overhaul the site with new photos at higher resolution and better production values. Click Collections at left. This new project is largely the work of lab grad student Amy Martiny. The project is ongoing, and ultimately hundreds of photos will be available. Notification of updates will be made on our WitmerLab Facebook page (become a fan to receive notifications automatically). (2009-11-16) | |
| Witmer was invited to lead a discussion on “Fleshing Out Dinosaur Evolution” as part of the Science Café series sponsored by Sigma Xi and ONCA on 14 Oct 2009. WitmerLab members moved 15-20 skull casts and other specimens from the lab to OU’s Front Room. It was free and open to the university community and public. It was well attended with good discussions about the science of dinosaur research, evolution, and the role that dinosaurs can play in society. (2009-11-09) | |
| The National Geographic Channel
aired three
television shows that featured Witmer and
research from the lab: 1. " Bizarre Dinosaurs " (premiere 11 Oct 2009): Witmer spoke specifically about Nigersaurus , but also other dinosaurs • Nigersaurus Project Page on this site • see behind the scenes pictures from the shoot • wallpapers from Nat Geo site shot in the WitmerLab: Majungasaurus skull , albatross dissection • new animation of Nigersaurus on 3D Viz page , YouTube , Facebook 2. " Prehistoric Predators: Razor Jaws " (premiere 12 Oct 2009): Witmer spoke about the creodont Hyaenodon • wallpapers from Nat Geo site shot while CT scanning: Witmer positioning Hyaenodon , Hyaenodon skull • animation of Hyaenodon skull and brain cast on 3D Viz page , YouTube , Facebook 3. " Prehistoric Predator: Killer Pig " (premiere 12 Oct 2009): Witmer spoke about the entelodont Archaeotherium • animation of Archaeotherium skull and brain cast on 3D Viz page , YouTube , Facebook (2009-11-07) |
|
| A News & Views piece appeared in Nature
to accompany the article by Hu et al.
on a dramatic new specimen of the
Jurassic troodontid theropod dinosaur Anchiornis
. The New & Views piece is largely
concerned with the implications of this find for
the debates on avian origins and on the origin
of flight in that Anchiornis
bears long
feathers on not only its arms and tail, but also
its legs and feet. (2009-09-30)
• Witmer, L. M. 2009. Palaeontology: feathered dinosaurs in a tangle. Nature 461:601–602. |
|
| Acclaimed artist Mark Dion collaborated with the OU School of Art for a special exhibit at the Kennedy Museum of Art called “Collections Collected.” We were honored to be among the collections sampled by Dion for the exhibit . The fascination of the exhibit goes well beyond just seeing our stuff included in the installation, as we marveled at the sometimes arresting alliance of our materials with surprising partners. The exhibit is fractal, offering varied impressions and details from a distance and up close. A sense gained by close inspection of an individual object often changes when seen in the context of adjacent objects. (2009-09-18) | |
| "MegaBeasts: Terror Bird" featured Witmer and his lab's research on terror birds. It was produced by Creative Differences and aired on the Discovery Channel on 13 September 2009. (2009-09-14) |
|
| A paper appeared in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology on the evolution of the braincase and orbitotemporal region of crocodyliforms. Click the link to go to Casey Holliday's page to download the PDF and other content. (2009-09-12) |
|
| Four papers by current WitmerLab members and
recent alumni were published in the latest issue
of the Anatomical Record
: "Special Issue:
Unearthing the Anatomy of Dinosaurs"
Available below are PDFs of the papers.
Stay tuned for Project Pages with additional content. (2009-08-28) |
|
| A
paper was published in November 2008 on imaging
brain and inner ear structure in archosaurs,
emphasizing a modern-day crocodile and
owl, as well as such dinosaurs as sauropods and T. rex
A nice PDF finally is available:
Stay tuned for a Project Page with a Common Language Summary, movies, 3D PDFs, and other content. (2009-07-29) |
|
| Ohio University's alumni magazine Ohio Today ran an infographic in the Summer 2009 issue on the research in the Witmer Lab. Grad student Joe Daniel is also pictured. Click the image at right for a JPG image of the infographic. For a PDF, click here for a larger or a smaller version. Photo credit goes to John Sattler & Neil Ever Osborne (OU-COM), and layout/text credit goes to Mariel Jungkunz and Sarah McDowell (OU). (2009-07-01) | 
|
| Joe Daniel got a job! He is now a Gross Anatomy Instructor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. It's not currently a tenure-track position, but could become tenure-track once he puts the finishing touches on his dissertation here. The position also makes Joe the only employed vertebrate paleontologist at an academic institution in the state of Arkansas. Here is his new email address . Well done, Joe! (2009-06-17) |  |
| Dave Dufeau received a highly competitive Ohio University Student Enhancement Award (a grant) for his doctoral research, as well as winning First-Place in the Ohio University Student Research and Creative Activity Expo held at the Convocation Center on 14 May 2009. Good job, Dave! (2009-05-27) |  |
| A "WitmerLab at Ohio University" Facebook page is launched, presenting less formal content than this "official" OU site, such as photos of lab activities, random images and outtakes, fun animations, etc. You don't have to be a Facebook member to view the page and most of its content, but if you want to submit content, comment, see fan-contributed content, participate in discussions, etc., you'll need to be a FB member and a "fan" of the page. (2009-03-26) | 
|
| A News & Views piece appeared in Nature
to accompany the article by Zheng et al.
on a new Liaoning
heterodontosaurid preserved with integumentary
filaments. The New & Views piece is largely
concerned with the implication of this find for
the debate on the evolution of feathers in
dinosaurs. (2009-03-19)
•
Witmer, L. M. 2009. Dinosaurs: Fuzzy origins for
feathers. Nature
458:293–295.
|
 |
| Tobin Hieronymus successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on 13 February 2009, with a presentation entitled "Morphology and evolution of skin-related features in amniotes." His doctoral committee included Audrone Biknevicius, Pat O'Connor, Steve Reilly, Alycia Stigall, and Larry Witmer. (2009-02-16) |  |
| Katie Burns joins the lab for an eight-week internship. Katie is a high-school senior at Linworth Alternative Program in Columbus, Ohio. Her internship (called a Walkabout ) allows her to participate in what goes on a scientific research lab. She is doing a variety of tasks, such as learning computer-based 3D visualization techniques. It turns out she has special gifts for painting dinosaur casts, as well evidenced by the finished Gorgosaurus she's holding in the picture. (2009-02-16) | 
|
| Article on research in the Witmer Lab appears in the Columbus Dispatch , with quotes from Matt Carrano, Chris Brochu, and Jeff Wilson. (2009-02-09) | 
|
| Article on the inner ears, hearing, & behavior appears in
the Proceedings of the Royal Society B
.
• Click the link to view a common-language summary and download the article. (2009-01-14) |
 |
| Article on the cranial kinesis in dinosaurs appears in
the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
• View a common-language summary and images and download the article on Casey Holliday's page (2009-01-11) |
|
| Article on the air spaces in the heads of
dinosaurs and their relatives appears in a special issue of The Anatomical Record
• Click the link to view a common language summary, images, movies, 3D PDFs, and other links and to download the article (2008-11-05 & 2008-11-19) |
|
| Larry Witmer, Ryan Ridgely, Dave Dufeau, and Taka Tsuihiji participated in several talks at the SVP symposium entitled " New Directions in the Study of Fossil Endocasts: a Symposium in Honor of Harry J. Jerison ," organized by Grant Hurlburt and Mary Silcox held on Thursday, October 16, 2008, at the 68th Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. (2008-10-21) | 
|
| A talk at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
(SVP) in
Cleveland, Ohio, was selected to be presented at
the SVP press conference. Click the link below
to go to a page
created for the media and to view the
conference abstract, images, 3D animations, and
several news reports.
• Check out the YouTube version of the animation . (2008-10-19) |
|
| Article on the brain endocast and inner ear of
the horned dinosaur Pachyrhinosaurus
appears in NRC Canada Monograph
• Click the link to view a common language summary, images, movies, 3D PDFs, and other links and to download the article (2008-10-02) |
|
| Tobin Hieronymus accepted a postdoctoral
position at the Northeastern Ohio Universities
College of Medicine in September. He will defend
his dissertation here at OU later this fall
(...so we're not ready to bid him farewell just
yet, although we miss him already). • Tobin's new contact information: NEOUCOM, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, 4209 State Rt. 44, Rootstown, OH 44272; office phone: 330-325-6635; thieronymus@neoucom.edu (2008-10-01). |
|
| We welcome new doctoral student William Porter to the lab! (2008-10-01) | |
| Several episodes of " Jurassic Fight Club " featured Witmer and his lab's research on various dinosaurs. Jurassic Fight Club is produced by 1080, Inc. and premiered on History on 29 July 2008. (2008-09-02) |
|
| "Prehistoric Monsters Revealed" featured Witmer and his lab's research on pterosaurs and terror birds. It was a two-hour documentary produced by Workaholic Productions, Inc. that aired on History on 28 July 2008. (2008-09-02) |
|
| Witmer and his lab's research were featured in the May 2008 issue of Pen , a Japanese men's lifestyle magazine. (2008-09-02) | |
| WitmerLab YouTube Channel launched, posting movies of Majungasaurus and Nigersaurus . More to come! (2008-07-09) | 
|
| Nigersaurus project page launched with PDFs of the paper and figures, movies, sound, and 3D PDFs. (2008-07-02) | |
| Dave Dufeau received a substantial Jurassic Foundation grant to fund his doctoral research. (2008-07-02) |
|
| Ryan Ridgely received a well-deserved promotion to Research Associate. (2008-07-02) |
|
| Taka Tsuihiji left the WitmerLab in late March to start a new postdoc in Japan. We wish Taka the best of luck. We miss him. Here is his new contact information: Takanobu Tsuihiji, Ph.D., JSPS Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Geology, National Museum of Nature and Science, 3-23-1 Hyakunin-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0073, Japan (E-mail: taka@kahaku.go.jp ) (2008-07-02) |
|
| Justin Tickhill's Masters Thesis won a
prestigious international award. From the press
release: "The Networked Digital Library of
Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) consortium is
pleased to announce this year's award winners.
Justin Tickhill...was awarded the Innovative ETD
Award that recognizes student efforts in
transforming the genre of the print dissertation
through the use of innovative software to create
cutting edge ETDs." (2008-07-02)
• Visit the award-winning Virtual Pig Head website! |
|
| Tobin Hieronymus
has two papers published on
aquatic birds in the Thewissen & Nummela volume. (2008-01-24)
• Hieronymus, T. L. 2008. Comparative anatomy
and physiology of chemical senses in aquatic
birds. In: Thewissen, J.G.M., and S. Nummela (eds),
Sensory Evolution on the Threshold, Adaptations
in Secondarily Aquatic Vertebrates. University
of California Press. |
 |
| Dave Dufeau successfully passed his Comprehensive Qualifying Examinations, and has now fully advanced to PhD candidacy. (2007-12-06) | |
| Paper on the African sauropod dinosaur Nigersaurus
published in
PLoS ONE (2007-11-15)
• Click the link to view a common language summary, images, and other links and to download the paper |
|
| The abstracts of presentations at the 8th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology (ICVM 8) in Paris were recently published in the Journal of Morphology . WitmerLab abstracts are below. (2007-11-15) |  |
| Taka Tsuihiji published a very important paper in the Journal of Morphology (2007-11-15): |  |
| The WitmerLab traveled to Austin, Texas, for the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, and it was a very successful meeting. Our abstracts are below. (2007-10-23) |  |
| Justin Tickhill successfully defended his
masters thesis—"The Virtual Pig Head: digital
imaging of cephalic anatomy"—on 02 August 2007.
Justin's thesis took the unique form of a
website. Justin will remain here in Athens for
the next year or so before striking out for his
next endeavor. (2007-08-29)
• Visit the Virtual Pig Head website! |
|
| • At the 8th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology in Paris, France, 16–21 July, 2007, it was announced that Witmer was elected President-Elect of the International Society of Vertebrate Morphology. He will remain President-Elect and a member of the Executive Committee until the next ICVM (Uruguay 2010) at which point he will become President. (2007-08-03) | |
| • Skull of Majungasaurus
paper published as
a Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Memoir
:
Sampson & Witmer
• Click the link to view a common language summary, images, and other links and to download the paper (2007-06-29) |
|
| Newly available PDFs of older but often
requested papers. All are fully searchable, and
some have had better versions of the original
illustrations inserted.
• Witmer 1999 The phylogenetic history of
paranasal air sinuses.
in The Paranasal
Sinuses of Higher Primates.
(4 MB) see Publications or CV for full citations. (2007-06-16) |
 |
| • Archosaur jaw muscle homology paper published in
the Journal of Morphology
: Holliday &
Witmer
Click the link to view a lay abstract, images, and other links and to download the paper (2007-06-10) |
|
| • Rhino horn growth paper published in the Journal of Morphology
: Hieronymus, Witmer, &
Ridgely
Click the link to view a common language summary, images, and other links and to download the paper (2006-10-31) |
|
| • Flamingo vasculature paper published in
the Anatomical Record
: Holliday, Ridgely,
Balanoff, & Witmer
Click the link to view a common language summary, images, movies, and other links and to download the paper (2006-10-30) |
|
| • Casey Holliday finishes doctorate and
takes tenure-track job at the Joan C. Edwards
School of Medicine at Marshall
University
(2006-07-01)
• Update: Casey leaves Marshall for a new position at the University of Missouri (2009-07-27) |
|
Perspectives
(Nov. 2012) featured the latest research
directions in the WitmerLab.
Perspectives
(Nov. 2001) published a
nice overview of the philosophy, goals, approaches, and history
of research in the Witmer lab
Funding for projects in the Witmer Lab derive primarily from grants to Witmer from the National Science Foundation (NSF) with important support from Ohio University and the OU Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
note: Research
in the Witmer lab does not involve experimentation on live
animals. Specimens of modern animals used in research are
salvage specimens, obtained legally from commercial or
governmental sources.
| Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Irvine Hall, Athens, Ohio 45701 740-593-2530 740-597-2778 fax |
Last updated:10/16/2019