Moriarty Science Seminar: Working the Face: Integrative Evolutionary Morphology & Physiology in the Mammalian Face

R.W. Moriarty Science Seminar Presents: Working the Face: Integrative Evolutionary Morphology & Physiology in the Mammalian Face

Speaker: Anne Burrows, Duquesne University

Abstract:Faces are ubiquitous in the mammalian and general vertebrate clades. However, our understanding of the evolutionary morphology and physiology of the face remains unclear. We have many paleontological pieces of evidence for how the bony and dental aspects of mammalian faces changed over time, especially in regard to dietary functions, brain development, and even the hearing and vestibular mechanisms. Similar evidence for the muscles of facial expression, the “mimetic muscles”, and associated connective tissue are lacking. This talk integrates evidence from the fossil record, comparative anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, plastic surgery, genetics, social networks, and artificial intelligence to understand the evolution of the mammalian face.
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