Frontiers in vertebrate functional-morphological evolution studies

[Zichuan]

I like this idea

Up

3

::

The twenty-first century has witnessed an explosion of palaeontological morphological data, partially due to the spread and application of various novel techniques of morphological data acquisition, such as advanced high-resolution 3D imaging (uCT, neutron and synchrotron scanning), laser scanning and photogrammetry. Meanwhile, recent advances in computer technology, artificial intelligence, engineering simulations, and statistical and phylogenetic comparative methods have also made it possible to analyze the new data, ‘resurrecting’ the animals that have risen and fallen in Earth’s history, and thus leading the morphofunctional palaeontology research into a new period of advances. New generations of vertebrate palaeontologists are thus able to explore beyond canonical comparative anatomical studies, to achieve a wide-ranging understanding of the functions, behaviours and ecologies of the key lineages of both extant and fossil organisms.

The symposium will bring together leading experts in the field of vertebrate functional evolution to discuss the latest discoveries and future directions in this rapidly developing field. Our discussions will span a wide range of topics, including：

·Applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in taxonomic identifications, clustering, data processing and digital modelling.
·Geometric morphometrics (GMM) to quantify the morphology of both extant and fossil biostructures and reveal their ecological significance.
·Finite element analysis (FEA) and the functional performance of fossil biostructures.
·Range of motion (ROM) analyses and muscular reconstruction in extinct vertebrates.
·Large-scale theoretical morphospace studies and functional macroevolution.

Symposium co-organizers:
Zichuan Qin, University of Bristol
Han Hu, University of Oxford
Congyu Yu, Chengdu University of Technology & American Museum of Natural History
Antonio Ballell Mayoral, University of Bristol

Invited speakers:
Rui Pei, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
Yanyin Wang, University of Alberta

Additional Potential Speakers:
Waisum Ma, Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History
Gabriele Sansalone, University of New England (Australia)
Case Miller, University of Hong Kong
Guillermo Navalón, University of Cambridge

Topic