by Here in the Angelini Lab, research interests can differ pretty dramatically. While our primary research animals are soapberry bugs, other ongoing projects investigate different bug species as well as bees. But insects aren’t the only animals of interest. The micro-biome of cow-nosed rays has also been the subject of one of our research projects and sometimes even prehistoric creatures can be found in the lab (or at least their skulls).
Recently, a postdoctoral fellow working in our lab, Dr. Devin O’Brien, was interviewed by paleontology enthusiast and podcaster Dinosaur George. Devin has been working in our lab since last March and has steadily produced and published several manuscripts, including one on the evolution of canines in saber-toothed cats. By using skull measurements of these giant cats from the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles, Devin compared the scaling relationship between body size and canine size to other key traits in both long extinct animals and modern, living ones. This exciting research opens the door for scientists to reasonably answer questions about animals that cannot be directly observed. Thanks to Devin’s work, we are one step closer to understanding the lives of these amazing and mysterious creatures.
A recording of the Dinosaur George podcast featuring Devin can be found here.
Featured image credit: Charles R. Knight, public domain
