REU: The Cranial Structure of Chinese Liassic Mammals and Tritylodontids

爬行动物向哺乳动物的进化转变发生在三叠纪，这一时期的高等脊椎动物化石受到了广泛的研究。A.W.克伦普顿博士有前所未有的机会研究中国人民共和国的三叠纪早期哺乳动物和类似哺乳动物的爬行动物化石。这些标本将被借给哈佛大学，在那里，穿过头骨的紧密间隔的部分将被切割并记录在基于计算机的图像分析系统上。这些切片将由计算机整合成三维重建，揭示出颅骨内部的新形态特征。在这项研究中收集的数据将对几个相互竞争的假说产生直接影响，这些假说试图解释哺乳动物从爬行动物的起源。进化生物学家、脊椎动物解剖学家和古生物学家将发现这项令人感兴趣的研究结果。该项目还将加强美国和中国之间的科学合作和交流。

The evolutionary transition from reptiles to mammals took place during the Triassic Period, and higher vertebrate fossils of this age are studied intensively. Dr. A. W. Crompton has the unprecendented opportunity to study Triassic fossils of early mammals and mammal-like reptiles from the People's Republic of China. The specimens will be taken on loan to Harvard University where closely-spaced sections through the skulls will be cut and recorded on a computer-based image analysis system. The sections will be integrated by the computer into a three-dimensional reconstruction, revealing new morphological features of the cranial interiors. The data to be gathered during this study will have direct impact on the several competing hypotheses that seek to explain the origin (or origins) of mammals from reptiles. Evolutionary biologists, vertebrate anatomists, and paleontologists will find the results of this study of interest. The project will also improve scientific collaboration and exchange between the U.S. and China.