Dr. Bonnan and three undergraduates at the Richard Stockton College have begun to investigate the forelimb anatomy of the white lab rat (Rattus norvegicus).
White lab rat. Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Albino_Rat.jpg
This mammal is well-known and has been the center of many studies, but we would now like to take what is known about forelimb locomotion into 3-D by using XROMM technology in cooperation with Brown University. Currently, three undergraduates are working on different aspects of rat forelimb anatomy, and each will scan and describe the three-dimensional morphology of bones in the rat forelimb. This summer (2013), XROMM data collected by Dr. Bonnan at Brown will be analyzed in conjunction with the undergraduate students and their long bone scans to reconstruct forelimb movements related to pronation in white rats. Why are we doing this and what does this have to do with dinosaur locomotion?
- Student Radha Varadharajan dissecting rat forelimbs – she will focus on describing movements of the scapula.
- Student Kadeisha Pinkney – she is dissecting rat forelimbs and will be describing the contribution of the humerus to pronation.
- Student Evan Drake – he is dissecting rat forelimbs and will focus on the contribution of the radius and ulna to pronation.
We will begin blogging and tweeting about our lab’s work in the near future … stay tuned!
The Evolving Paleontologist 