Bones/Muscle/Connective Tissue
Developmental Biology/Morphology
Evolution/Anthropology
Imaging
Education & Teaching
Imaging
Vertebrate Paleontology
Joan Richtsmeier, PhD (she/her/hers)
Distinguished Professor
Anthropology
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania, United States
The exterior body plans of many species are characterized by symmetry. The basis of the symmetry is directed by interconnected molecular networks that coordinate dynamic cellular behaviors during development that have been shaped over evolutionary time. Still, many aspects of our internal structure and processes that build symmetry are asymmetric during development. Moreover, variation in developmental programs has provided raw material for evolution to produce unexpected asymmetries in particular organisms. This master class will provide a basis for understanding the development of a symmetry including how embryos set up asymmetry within a symmetric body plan. How symmetry and asymmetry have evolved will provide additional information on variation in developmental systems and provide information on how asymmetry or symmetry can be advantageous to the organism. Finally, these discussions will be brought to bear on the understanding of human anatomy and how a consideration of development and evolution of symmetry/asymmetry can be used to the student’s advantage in anatomy instruction.
Speaker: H. Joseph Yost
Speaker: William Jeffery, PhD – University of Maryland
Speaker: Marc Spencer
