Assistant Professor, Center for Anatomical Sciences University of North Texas Health Science Center Fort Worth, Texas, United States
Hominin evolution has been characterized by dramatic changes in cranial capacity, with strong evidence suggesting that increases in relative brain size (encephalization) have influenced cranial form. Fossil and comparative primate studies have established correlations between brain size and skull morphology, but the mechanistic bases for how alterations in brain size may have produced the characteristics traits of the modern human skull have been difficult to discern. Transgenic mouse models provide opportunities to experimentally test these mechanistic hypotheses. Protocols using a combination of microCT to study cranial bone development and contrast-enhanced microCT to quantify brain size were developed to study how an encephalized phenotype in an experimental mouse model may affect the growth and development of the skull. The experimental model produced some unexpected results along the way, highlighting several important lessons in scientific research.
