Expansion and Improvement of the Penn Cranial CT Database

在托马斯·舍尼曼博士的指导下，宾夕法尼亚大学获得了一笔赠款，用于部分支持宾夕法尼亚大学颅骨CT数据库的扩展和改进，该数据库由高分辨率三维（3D）计算机断层扫描（CT）图像组成。 这笔赠款将使该数据库能够从宾夕法尼亚大学考古学和人类学博物馆（UPMAA）的骨骼收藏中获取的人类和非人类灵长类动物和化石头骨的现有扫描集进行扩展。 将通过博物馆现有的网上档案和收藏品界面（http：//www.museum.upenn.edu/mis/）免费在线访问扫描数据库。 完成后，该数据库将完全可搜索，并将包括所有已知的每个标本的信息，从6个主要视角的标本的数码照片，和3D CT图像本身。宾夕法尼亚大学颅脑CT数据库将提高在UPMAA保存的独特标本集的访问和有用性。这些标本来自世界各地，因此代表了广泛的人类变异。将要拍摄的3D CT图像基本上是高分辨率的3D数字图片，这将使现有颅骨的可访问性大大增加。 3D CT图像的可用性对于全球研究人员来说非常重要，原因有三：1）最新的计算机软件可以直接从CT扫描本身进行几乎任何测量，从而最大限度地减少重复处理造成的损害。 2)这些图像允许研究头骨内部的重要结构，这些结构不能轻易地从外部进行研究（例如，脑壳的表面）。 3)新的软件方法允许对头骨的复杂几何形状进行强大的研究（例如，创建地图集，详细描述所有标本的逐点变化）。 因此，这些CT图像不仅对了解人类变异和解释化石非常宝贵，而且对研究头骨形状的变异至关重要。该项目的更广泛意义包括让当地学生参与创建一个在线虚拟博物馆，展示重要化石和头骨的三维图像，用于教学目的，以及对各种感兴趣的研究人员来说更容易获得和使用的骨骼材料收集。 学生的参与将以向当地高中生提供特别“科学奖学金”的形式进行（这些学生中的大部分来自历史上处于不利地位的少数群体），他们不仅将在项目的各个方面提供帮助，而且还将制定与骨骼材料和相关CT图像有关的小型研究项目。 这些项目将向学生介绍科学研究的基础知识，以及这些问题的类型。 网上虚拟博物馆将展示人类进化的重要特征，并将与博物馆计划的人类进化展览相吻合。 我们的目标是让公众将重要的化石标本与现代猿和人类的变异范围进行比较，从而突出人类进化的主要趋势。

A grant has been awarded to the University of Pennsylvania under the direction of Dr. Thomas Schoenemann for partial support of the expansion and improvement of the Penn Cranial CT Database, which consists of high-resolution, 3-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) images. This grant will allow the database to expand from its current set of scans of human and non-human primate and fossil skulls taken from the skeletal collections at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (UPMAA). Free online access to the scan database will be accomplished through the Museum's existing web-based archives and collections interface (http://www.museum.upenn.edu/mis/). When completed, the database will be fully searchable, and will include all the information known for each specimen, digital photographs of the specimens from the 6 major viewing angles, and the 3D CT images themselves.The Penn Cranial CT Database will improve the access and usefulness of the unique set of specimens housed at the UPMAA. The specimens are from all over the world, thus representing a broad range of human variation. The 3D CT images to be taken are essentially high-resolution 3D digital pictures, which will allow a dramatic increase in accessibility of the existing crania. The availability of 3D CT images for researchers worldwide is important for three reasons: 1) Recent computer software makes it possible to take almost any measurement directly from the CT scans themselves, which minimizes damage from repeated handling. 2) These images allow for the study of important structures inside the skulls that cannot be easily studied externally (for example, the surface of the braincase). 3) New software methods allow for powerful studies of complex geometry of the skull (for example, the creation of atlases describing in detail the variation across all specimens on a point-by-point basis). These CT images will therefore be invaluable not only for the understanding human variation and interpreting fossils, but also for research where detailed analysis of variation in shape of the skull is essential.The broader significance of this project includes the involvement of local students in the creation of an online virtual museum of 3D images of important fossils and skulls for teaching purposes, and a vastly more accessible and useable collection of skeletal material to interested researchers of all kinds. Student involvement will be in the form of special 'science scholarships' offered to local high school students (a large majority of whose students are from historically disadvantaged minority groups), who will not only assist in every aspect of the project, but will also formulate mini-research projects relating to the skeletal material and the associated CT images. These projects will introduce students to the basics of scientific research, and to the kinds of questions these. The online virtual museum will illustrate important features of human evolution, and will dovetail with the Museum's planned human evolution exhibit. Our goal is to allow the general public to compare important fossil specimens to the range of variation in modern apes and humans, thus highlighting the major trends in human evolution.