Even though it has been a while between posts, I've been thinking a lot lately about my visit to the Duke Lemur Center (DLC) and I feel as if it is high time I start wrapping up this chapter of the blog. I owe it to the lemurs, including this lovely crowned lemur, and her adorable baby, and the energetic blue-eyed black lemurs (left). My DLC visit was such a great way to thoroughly immerse myself in the world of everything lemur. I had been an official member of PJ's lab for one semester, and at that point in time I was still roughing out ideas about what I would like to study during my grad school years (and possibly beyond). I was only completely sure of two research goals: 1. I would study lemurs, obviously; and 2. I wanted my dissertation to integrate many different techniques and methodologies. I've always had the "problem" of wanting to learn a little bit of everything (see Research), but an integrative process would fulfill my intellectual needs AND allow me to amass a swath of useful skills and knowledge. |
Now I don't want to go into too many details just yet, but PJ and I have some ideas about incorporating osteological morphology data - a fancy way of saying information left behind on the bones of deceased lemurs - with genetic data to answer some of the same questions. As a potential high school marine biologist turned undergraduate microbiologist, I knew almost nothing about mammalian skeletal anatomy, including that of humans and non-human primates. All I knew was that primates have an awful lot of bones (human adults have 206 to be exact) and I was going to have to start learning all about them if any of mine and PJ's ideas were going to work out...
Once again, the DLC came to the rescue. While I was there, I was privileged enough to begin familiarizing myself with lemur bones at the Duke Division of Fossil Primates (DFP, see below). Gregg Gunnell, the director of the DFP, let me comb through the massive collection of >27,000 specimens. Under his tutelage, I was able to use a reference book or two to learn how to distinguish between lemur humeri (upper arm bones) and femora (thigh bones), which is a surprisingly challenging task. Gregg was very enthusiastic and supportive of my survey, and encouraged me to open every single drawer in the building.
Before this experience, I never truly appreciated just how much we could learn from the bones left behind. There is the potential to discover not only what species the creature was, but also its sex, how the individual died, how old it was at time of death, how large it was when it was alive, diseases it might have had, and the list goes on and on. The collection at the DFP included some other mammals and vertebrates as well, and combing through the collections I felt as if I was exploring a whole new world without ever leaving the room. Even if you do not get the chance to travel to Durham to experience this sensation, Gregg and the rest of the DFP team are making 3D scans of the specimens accessible online through MorphoSource, so one day soon you can study the samples from the comfort of your own home.
I've posted here some of my favorite pictures from the DFP. Please click through and see some of my fascinating finds :) Enjoy!
Before this experience, I never truly appreciated just how much we could learn from the bones left behind. There is the potential to discover not only what species the creature was, but also its sex, how the individual died, how old it was at time of death, how large it was when it was alive, diseases it might have had, and the list goes on and on. The collection at the DFP included some other mammals and vertebrates as well, and combing through the collections I felt as if I was exploring a whole new world without ever leaving the room. Even if you do not get the chance to travel to Durham to experience this sensation, Gregg and the rest of the DFP team are making 3D scans of the specimens accessible online through MorphoSource, so one day soon you can study the samples from the comfort of your own home.
I've posted here some of my favorite pictures from the DFP. Please click through and see some of my fascinating finds :) Enjoy!