Expansion and Improvement of the Penn Cranial CT Database

在Thomas Schoenemann博士的指导下，宾夕法尼亚大学获得了一笔拨款，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。这笔拨款将允许数据库从目前的人类和非人类灵长类动物的扫描集和化石头骨从宾夕法尼亚大学考古与人类学博物馆（UPMAA）的骨骼收藏中扩展。扫描数据库的免费在线访问将通过博物馆现有的基于网络的档案和收藏界面（http://www.museum.upenn.edu/mis/）完成。完成后，数据库将完全可搜索，并将包括每个标本的所有已知信息，从6个主要视角拍摄的标本数码照片，以及3D CT图像本身。宾夕法尼亚大学颅骨CT数据库将改善UPMAA收藏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。要拍摄的3D CT图像本质上是高分辨率的3D数字图像，这将大大增加对现有颅骨的可及性。三维CT图像的可用性对全世界的研究人员来说很重要，原因有三个：1)最新的计算机软件使得几乎可以直接从CT扫描本身进行任何测量，从而最大限度地减少了重复处理造成的损害。这些图像可以用来研究头骨内部的重要结构，而这些结构在外部是不容易研究的（例如，脑壳表面）。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，详细描述所有标本逐点的变化）。因此，这些CT图像不仅对理解人类变异和解释化石非常宝贵，而且对头骨形状变异的详细分析也是必不可少的。这个项目更广泛的意义包括让当地学生参与创建一个在线虚拟博物馆，用于教学目的的重要化石和头骨的3D图像，以及对各种感兴趣的研究人员更容易访问和使用的骨骼材料集合。学生将以特殊的“科学奖学金”的形式参与，为当地高中生提供奖学金（其中大部分学生来自历史上处于不利地位的少数民族），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图像相关的小型研究项目。这些项目将向学生介绍科学研究的基础知识，以及这些研究中的各种问题。在线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类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.