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Persons JE, Sipla JS. The cure for neurophobia: an approach for progressive mastery of medical neuroscience. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2023:7192370. [PMID: 37290432 DOI: 10.1093/jnen/nlad039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jane E Persons
- Department of Pathology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Justin S Sipla
- Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Department of Neurology, Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
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Choiniere JN, Neenan JM, Schmitz L, Ford DP, Chapelle KEJ, Balanoff AM, Sipla JS, Georgi JA, Walsh SA, Norell MA, Xu X, Clark JM, Benson RBJ. Evolution of vision and hearing modalities in theropod dinosaurs. Science 2021; 372:610-613. [PMID: 33958472 DOI: 10.1126/science.abe7941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Owls and nightbirds are nocturnal hunters of active prey that combine visual and hearing adaptations to overcome limits on sensory performance in low light. Such sensory innovations are unknown in nonavialan theropod dinosaurs and are poorly characterized on the line that leads to birds. We investigate morphofunctional proxies of vision and hearing in living and extinct theropods and demonstrate deep evolutionary divergences of sensory modalities. Nocturnal predation evolved early in the nonavialan lineage Alvarezsauroidea, signaled by extreme low-light vision and increases in hearing sensitivity. The Late Cretaceous alvarezsauroid Shuvuuia deserti had even further specialized hearing acuity, rivaling that of today's barn owl. This combination of sensory adaptations evolved independently in dinosaurs long before the modern bird radiation and provides a notable example of convergence between dinosaurs and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonah N Choiniere
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
| | - James M Neenan
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.,Oxford University Museum of Natural History, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PW, UK
| | - Lars Schmitz
- W.M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges, 925 N Mills Ave., Claremont, CA 91711, USA.,Dinosaur Institute, Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
| | - David P Ford
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
| | - Kimberley E J Chapelle
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa.,Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Amy M Balanoff
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Justin S Sipla
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, 51 Newton Road, 100 Bowen Science Building, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
| | - Justin A Georgi
- Department of Anatomy, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, 19555 N 59th Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85308, USA
| | - Stig A Walsh
- Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, UK.,School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute, Hutton Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE, UK
| | - Mark A Norell
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Xing Xu
- Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xizhimenwai Street, Beijing 100044, China.,Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, China
| | - James M Clark
- Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, 2029 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Roger B J Benson
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, 1 Jan Smuts Avenue, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa. .,Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
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King JL, Sipla JS, Georgi JA, Balanoff AM, Neenan JM. The endocranium and trophic ecology of Velociraptor mongoliensis. J Anat 2020; 237:861-869. [PMID: 32648601 PMCID: PMC7542195 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroanatomical reconstructions of extinct animals have long been recognized as powerful proxies for palaeoecology, yet our understanding of the endocranial anatomy of dromaeosaur theropod dinosaurs is still incomplete. Here, we used X‐ray computed microtomography (µCT) to reconstruct and describe the endocranial anatomy, including the endosseous labyrinth of the inner ear, of the small‐bodied dromaeosaur, Velociraptor mongoliensis. The anatomy of the cranial endocast and ear were compared with non‐avian theropods, modern birds, and other extant archosaurs to establish trends in agility, balance, and hearing thresholds in order to reconstruct the trophic ecology of the taxon. Our results indicate that V. mongoliensis could detect a wide and high range of sound frequencies (2,368–3,965 Hz), was agile, and could likely track prey items with ease. When viewed in conjunction with fossils that suggest scavenging‐like behaviours in V. mongoliensis, a complex trophic ecology that mirrors modern predators becomes apparent. These data suggest that V. mongoliensis was an active predator that would likely scavenge depending on the age and health of the individual or during prolonged climatic events such as droughts.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Logan King
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Justin S Sipla
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Justin A Georgi
- Department of Anatomy, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, USA
| | - Amy M Balanoff
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - James M Neenan
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Georgi JA, Sipla JS, Forster CA. Turning semicircular canal function on its head: dinosaurs and a novel vestibular analysis. PLoS One 2013; 8:e58517. [PMID: 23516495 PMCID: PMC3596285 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2012] [Accepted: 02/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous investigations have correlated vestibular function to locomotion in vertebrates by scaling semicircular duct radius of curvature to body mass. However, this method fails to discriminate bipedal from quadrupedal non-avian dinosaurs. Because they exhibit a broad range of relative head sizes, we use dinosaurs to test the hypothesis that semicircular ducts scale more closely with head size. Comparing the area enclosed by each semicircular canal to estimated body mass and to two different measures of head size, skull length and estimated head mass, reveals significant patterns that corroborate a connection between physical parameters of the head and semicircular canal morphology. Head mass more strongly correlates with anterior semicircular canal size than does body mass and statistically separates bipedal from quadrupedal taxa, with bipeds exhibiting relatively larger canals. This morphologic dichotomy likely reflects adaptations of the vestibular system to stability demands associated with terrestrial locomotion on two, versus four, feet. This new method has implications for reinterpreting previous studies and informing future studies on the connection between locomotion type and vestibular function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin A Georgi
- Department of Anatomy, Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona, United States of America.
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