Biology Seminar Series- Siobhan Cooke, Johns Hopkins University

Diet, Dentition, and Craniomandibular Shape: Biting into Complex Relationships.

In this seminar Dr. Cooke will examine the masticatory morphology of the primates. She’ll discuss how she uses three-dimensional modeling and topographic analysis of primate teeth to understand how primate dentitions function and how dental data can be used to infer ecological niche in poorly known extant primates and in extinct species. As shifts in diet often lie at the root of evolutionary transitions, understanding dietary adaptions today and in the fossil record help researchers better understand primate evolution broadly.