Brain evolution in archosaurs: new implications for scaling, function, and the evolution of the modern conditions in birds and crocodilians

始祖龙的大脑进化：对鸟类和鳄鱼的伸缩、功能和现代条件的进化的新意义俄亥俄大学劳伦斯·M·威特默俄亥俄大学大脑被认为是唯一最重要的器官，因此它的神经生物学和进化长期以来一直是生物生物学的中心兴趣。这个项目研究了始祖龙的大脑进化，这个物种包括今天的鸟类和鳄鱼，以及中生代的恐龙、翼龙和基本形态，目的是揭示现代条件的演变，并使用新的方法来对灭绝的始龙的相对大脑大小和形状做出最准确的估计。由于化石通常只保存坚硬的部分，因此一个主要目标是通过重建组成软组织来评估灭绝的原始龙的脑腔，然后为功能解释提供基础。假说将在现有的系统发育框架(EPB)方法的背景下进行测试，根据该方法，化石类(恐龙)的现代亲属(鸟类、鳄鱼、蜥蜴)提供关于软组织与它们在骨骼上留下的特征之间的关系的信息。相关的软组织(脑、其覆盖物、神经、血管)将在现代动物中使用一系列方法进行研究，包括PI实验室开发的一种新的成像技术，以发现它们与骨骼的相关性。然后，将对始祖龙化石进行调查，以寻找这些签名。对数十个关键化石样本进行CT扫描将是一个关键工具，因为它不仅将提供有关颅骨内嵌入特征的数据，还将产生3D数字数据集，从中可以自动进行高精度的测量。一种估计恐龙大脑大小和形状的新方法(GABRA：大体解剖脑区近似)将得到改进，允许使用最新的统计技术对相对脑大小进行新的比例研究。这些信息将被映射到始祖龙的系谱树上，通过与广泛的行为和生理类别进行关联，评估大脑结构主要转变的适应环境。许多本科生和研究生将接受技术和分析培训。该项目是高度合作的，涉及世界各地的许多古生物学家和实验学家。广泛的放射成像将需要开发精细的成像协议、标准化的分析、专门的工作站和生物信息学创新来处理海量的多格式数字数据。不仅传播数据而且操纵数据的基于互联网的手段将是必不可少的，并将与现有的生物信息学中心联系起来进行。鉴于K-12对所有恐龙的持续兴趣，这个项目将吸引人们的注意，这将提供新的机会，利用恐龙作为工具来教授一般的科学知识，预计的场所是媒体、学校或其他公开露面，以及互联网。

Brain evolution in archosaurs: new implications for scaling, function, and the evolution ofthe modern conditions in birds and crocodiliansLawrence M. WitmerOhio UniversityThe brain is justifiably regarded as the single most important organ, and thus its neurobiology and evolution have long been a central interest of organismal biology. This project studies brain evolution in Archosauria, the group including birds and crocodilians today and dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and basal forms during the Mesozoic, with the aims of shedding light on the evolution of the modern condition and using new methods to make the most accurate estimates, to date, of relative brain size and shape in extinct archosaurs. Because fossils usually preserve only hard parts, a major objective is to make assessments of the brain cavity of extinct archosaurs by reconstructing component soft tissues, which will then provide a basis for functional interpretation. Hypotheses will be tested in the context of the extant phylogenetic bracket (EPB) approach whereby the modern relatives (birds, crocodilians, lizards) of the fossil group (dinosaurs) provide information on the relationship between soft tissues and the signatures they leave on the bones. Pertinent soft tissues (the brain, its coverings, nerves, blood vessels) will be studied in the modern animals using a range of methods, including a novel imaging technique developed in the PI's lab, to discover their bony correlates. Fossil archosaurs will then be surveyed for these signatures. CT scanning of literally dozens of pivotal fossil specimens will be a critical tool in that it will not only provide data on features embedded within the skull but also will yield 3D digital datasets from which highly accurate measurements can be made automatically. A new method to estimate the size and shape of the brain in dinosaurs (GABRA: gross anatomical brain region approximation) will be refined, allowing new scaling studies of relative brain size using the latest statistical techniques. This information will be mapped onto a genealogical tree of archosaurs to assess the adaptive contexts of major transitions in brain conformation by making correlations with broad behavioral and physiological categories. Numerous undergraduate and graduate students will receive technical and analytical training. The project is highly collaborative, involving many paleontologists and experimentalists worldwide. The extensive radiological imaging will require development of refined imaging protocols, standardized analyses, specialized workstations, and bioinformatics innovations to deal with the voluminous multi-format digital data. Internet-based means of not only disseminating the data but also manipulating the data will be essential, and will take place in connection with existing bioinformatics hubs. Given the continual K-12 interest in all things dinosaurian, the attention this project will attract will provide new opportunities to use dinosaurs as tools to teach about science in general, with expected venues being media outlets, school or other public appearances, and the internet.