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witmerlab.bsky.social
WitmerLab at Ohio University
@witmerlab.bsky.social
3.2K followers 540 following 140 posts
21st-century approaches to fleshing out the past! Mission: to use the structure of past & present animals to interpret evolutionary history...and to share it!
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witmerlab.bsky.social
We'll close out this #FossilFriday with the obvious choice of Nanotyrannus. I couldn't share this CT scanning session at the time (June 2023) but can now. @jgn-paleo.bsky.social brought the holotype Cleveland skull he had on loan, and CMNH VP curator Caitlin Colleary & I joined in the fun!
James Napoli, Witmer, and Cleveland Museum of Natural History Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology Caitlin Colleary with the holotype skull of Nanotyrannus (CMNH 7541) for CT scanning (June 2023). James Napoli with the holotype skull of Nanotyrannus (CMNH 7541) for CT scanning (June 2023). Cleveland Museum of Natural History Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology Caitlin Colleary with the holotype skull of Nanotyrannus (CMNH 7541) for CT scanning (June 2023). Witmer with the holotype skull of Nanotyrannus (CMNH 7541) for CT scanning (June 2023). I had this same skull on loan in my Ohio University lab for study and CT scanning for over a year and, as far as I can tell, never appeared in a photo with it. I didn't my chance this time!
October 31, 2025 at 6:51 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
Shamini Bundell ‪@shamini.bsky.social at @nature.com, knowing that I had written the N&V commentary (rdcu.be/eNv94) on the Zanno & Napoli article on Nanotyrannus, contacted me earlier this week to film a quick video that provides some background. Shamini did a great job with it! I need a haircut.
nature.com Nature @nature.com · 11d
Decades of debate over the identity of a medium-sized Cretaceous predator may finally be over

Read more: www.nature.com/articles/d41...
October 31, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Reposted by WitmerLab at Ohio University
asherelbein.bsky.social
This @witmerlab.bsky.social piece about l'affair Nanotyrannus is extremely sharp and even-handed about some of the dynamics that made this particular argument so contentious and -- occasionally -- bitter

rdcu.be/eNv94
The following key question can now be asked. Why, even before the discovery of NCSM 40000, did a scientific consensus consolidate so quickly around the hypothesis that all Nanotyrannus specimens are juvenile T. rex, especially given the well-known short-comings that should, at least, have dictated more caution?That’s a question perhaps more suited to historians or sociologists, but fascinat-ing, if uncomfortable, issues abound. For example, some advocates for the validity of Nanotyrannus do not have advanced degrees or are not employed by universities or museums, raising the spectre of the role of influence, elitism and the protective ivory tower of academia. Other factors to consider are the related issues of commercial fossil collecting and the ethics of studying fossils that are in pri-vate hands rather than public museums. Many specimens relevant to this debate were commercially collected and remain privately... held, and many of these have come to attention thanks to social media, auction catalogues and television documentaries. The ethics policies of some professional societies and journals oppose the publication of studies about specimens in private collections for valid reasons, such as issues relating to access and reproducibility of results11, although there is the conflicting ethical concern about wilfully ignoring relevant scientific data12. All of these issues have affected the Nanotyrannus debate, but it’s also probable that the consensus emerged quickly simply because it was so useful to finally have what were deemed juvenile T. rex specimens, despite the persistent concerns of a minor-ity of scientists. Given the investment in the consensus view, that side is unlikely to go down without a fight, but this exceptionally researched study by Zanno and Napoli puts Nanotyrannus on a solid foundation.
October 30, 2025 at 10:00 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
Today's bombshell in @nature.com by Lindsay Zanno & James Napoli @jgn-paleo.bsky.social (bit.ly/4qBE6ng) shows that putative juvvy T. rex fossils actually are Nanotyrannus. I reviewed the manuscript, so Nature invited me to write the News & Views commentary. Free link: rdcu.be/eNv94 🦖
The figure used in my News & Views commentary. I generated the CT-based rendering of the holotype skull of Nanotyrannus lancensis (CMNH 7541), based on a recent scan. The lower image was done by the Nature art department. Here's the free link to the print version that I'm permitted to share: https://rdcu.be/eNv94. You can't download it but you can screen-capture its two pages if you really need a copy. Our casts of (bottom) the holotype of Nanotyrannus lancensis (CMNH 7541), (middle) the newly named holotype of N. lethaeus (BMRP 2002.4.1), and (top) T. rex (AMNH 5027). We published on CMNH 7541 in 2010 (http://bit.ly/3X5nCGm).
October 30, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Reposted by WitmerLab at Ohio University
stevebrusatte.bsky.social
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Project | E5 Doctoral Training Partnership | E5 Doctoral Training Partnership
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October 16, 2025 at 11:11 AM
witmerlab.bsky.social
It's #NationalFossilDay here in the USA, so here's a photo of our T. rex brain endocast based on a US national fossil—AMNH 5117. The surprise was to see it on exhibit in Japan at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum. Feel free to print one of your own: skfb.ly/Mqsq ! 🦖
Witmer with a 3D print of the brain endocast of Tyrannosaurus rex on exhibit at the Fukui Prefecture Dinosaur Museum in Fukui, Japan, based on CT scanning of AMNH 5117. 3D print of the brain endocast of Tyrannosaurus rex on exhibit at the Fukui Prefecture Dinosaur Museum in Fukui, Japan, based on CT scanning of AMNH 5117. We published on the braincase and endocast of tyrannosaurs way back in 2009: https://bit.ly/47fChUf More on National Fossil Day here: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossilday/index.htm
October 15, 2025 at 8:20 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
If you haven't read—or re-read in a while—Bakker's 1986 classic The Dinosaur Heresies, it's well worth doing. I read it in 1986 & again on my recent trip to Japan. Got a pb copy for $10 for the long trip (1st photo) rather than take my signed 1st ed (got John Gurche to sign his cover art, too!). 🦖
October 12, 2025 at 9:14 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
Excited to see this new #OA article out on turtle head vasculature, led by @seishirotada.bsky.social. It was part of Sei's PhD diss. So much fun injection, dissection, sawing, & µCT of turtles & lizards in the lab with Sei and DJ Morgan—leading to this really nice article! doi.org/10.1186/s133... 🐢
Seishiro Tada dissects a snapping turtle head that previously had been injected and then microCT scanned. DJ Morgan (left) and Sei Tada (right) use the band saw to sagittally section a loggerhead sea turtle head. 3D volumetric rendering of a green sea turtle head (OUVC 11893) that had been injected with a barium-latex medium to visualize the vascular system. New research article out today! https://doi.org/10.1186/s13358-025-00403-3
October 7, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Reposted by WitmerLab at Ohio University
seishirotada.bsky.social
We have a new paper out! Turtle ancestors evolved a shell—but what else? We found that an unique rostral vasculature was also obtained gradually along the lineage, and that one of the earliest turtles Proganochelys likely retained a mostly ancestral state!🐢 sjpp.springeropen.com/articles/10....
October 7, 2025 at 9:02 AM
witmerlab.bsky.social
Happy Birthday, T. rex! 🎉🎂 120 years ago today (1905), fossils collected in Montana were given the name Tyrannosaurus rex. Here’s the "sitting" mount of the T. rex known as Bucky (TCM 2001.90.1) at the National Museum of Nature & Science, which I visited last week in Tokyo. 🦖
October 5, 2025 at 1:09 AM
witmerlab.bsky.social
#FossilFriday Good times last week at the National Museum of Nature & Science in Tokyo with Seishiro Tada and Takanobu Tsuihiji and the "sitting" mount of the T. rex known as Bucky (TCM 2001.90.1). 🦖
October 3, 2025 at 1:26 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
After spending so much time with smallest/youngest specimen of Tarbosaurus, I'm thrilled finally to be face to face with among the largest known Tarbosaurus specimens (MPC-D 107/2) at the stunning Fukui Prefecture Dinosaur Museum in Japan.
September 29, 2025 at 11:06 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
Excited to be in Fukui, Japan, for the 6th International Symposium on Asian Dinosaurs #ISAD2025 which starts today. Fukui is a dinosaur town (my kind of town!), with life-size robotic dinosaurs around town! 🦖
September 25, 2025 at 11:40 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
Having a great time in the dinosaur collections of the National Museum of Nature & Science in Tsukuba, Japan, just outside Tokyo. Many wonderful fossils like this beautiful skull of Thescelosaurus NSM PV 24661.
September 23, 2025 at 11:08 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
Excited to be in Japan for the 6th International Symposium on Asian Dinosaurs #ISAD2025 in Fukui later this week. In Tokyo now for research. Was delighted last night for a surprise reunion with these folks who trained in WitmerLab: Seishiro Tada, Meg Wakui, Hirochika Ueda, & Takanobu Tsuihiji!
September 22, 2025 at 11:53 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
Shaken to hear Mark Norell passed—good friend, trusted colleague, giant in our field. Coincidentally, I got the news as I was working on my talk for the Intl. Symp. on Asian Dinosaurs in Fukui later this month. Here's my slide on Mark’s impact on Asian dinosaur science. It hurt to add 1957–2025. 😥
September 9, 2025 at 4:47 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
30 years ago today (Sept 1, 1995) I started my job at Ohio University & @ouhcom.bsky.social! I'm not done yet, but it's been a pretty fulfilling run, watching students succeed, the lab grow, & science happening! Minimally we moved from that cheesy clipart pick-&-scalpel logo to a snazzier logo! 1/1
Two photos of Witmer leaning on a T. rex skull. The top photo is a black & white photo from 1995 with Witmer sporting 1990's attire and moustache. The skull is unpainted and sitting on his lawn at home because his research lab wasn't ready. The bottom photo is a color photo from now with an older Witmer in his research lab surrounded by dinosaur skull casts, including his now-painted T. rex.
September 1, 2025 at 4:45 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
A sad #FossilFriday with the news that legendary Mongolian dinosaur paleontologist Rinchen Barsbold passed away yesterday at the age of 90. I'm honored to have shaken his hand and more so to have coauthored with him twice, on Tarbosaurus and on Avimimus. R.I.P. Dr. Barsbold. 🦖
Rinchen Barsbold with two Tarbosaurus skeletons. Photo from https://worldfossilsociety.org/2013/04/wfs-profile-dr-rinchen-barsbold/. (Not sure where they got it) Title and Figures 2 & 3 from our 2011 article on a very young Tarbosaurus: https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2011.557116. Title and Figure 1 from our 2017 article on the skull of Avimimus: https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2017.1347177.
August 29, 2025 at 3:24 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
Excited to have this new #OA article out in Fossil Studies (doi.org/10.3390/foss...), documenting the loss of cranial kinesis in phorusrhacid terror birds in connection with their remarkable hatchet-like feeding style. Dino Degrange ably led the project & we've got more on the way!
CT based volume renderings of some of the main study species of Cariamiformes, the clade including extant seriemas (Cariamidae) and extinct terror birds (Phorusrhacidae). Figure 5 from the Degrange, Tambussi, and Witmer article showing the evolution of akinesis in phorusrhacids. Dino Degrange in WitmerLab in December 2017. Witmer and Dino Degrange in December 2015.
August 20, 2025 at 7:09 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
35 years ago day SUE the T. rex (FMNH PR 2081) was discovered by Sue Hendrickson. Few dinosaur specimens are as impressive, and our team has had the privilege of studying the original fossils & CT scan data many times. As always, thanks go to the Field Museum for their support! 🦖
August 12, 2025 at 5:43 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
Today is both #NationalKittenDay and #ThyreophoranThursday so here's another photo from when 8-week-old Pinky visited WitmerLab and shared a moment with Pinacosaurus. Also in attendance were Tarchia & a couple stegosaurs.
#PinkysDinosaurAdventure
Photo of an 8-week-old kitten named Pinky on a shelf in WitmerLab among a number of skulls of thyreophoran dinosaurs. She is staring at Pinacosaurus. Tarchia is also pictured as are a couple stegosaurs. Her little body is blocking the skull of Gastonia.
July 10, 2025 at 4:51 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
Since some folks on social media seemed a little freaked about yesterday's vid ⬇️ of me rolling these skulls out of the lab so the floors could be cleaned & waxed, I'll use #NationalSelfieDay as an opportunity to show you that all is well! They're all back with no mishaps! 🦖
A professor (Witmer) stands with a bunch of theropod dinosaur skulls in his research lab.
June 21, 2025 at 8:23 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
#FossilFriday Getting the floors cleaned & waxed in all the lab spaces is no small task, which is why it hardly ever happens. I had to move out everything I possibly could. Also forced some decisions on what got moved to the dumpster. Kinda fun to see freshly waxed floors again!
June 20, 2025 at 3:01 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
Loved the #WalkingWithDinosaurs ep on Pachyrhinosaurus. Didn't do anything for the show but provided brain endocast viz for the #WWD book from our 2008 pub—https://bit.ly/4jTiNJf. Here's also our Hieronymus et al. article on centrosaurine facial skin—https://bit.ly/447xCC1. More images in the reply⬇️
June 19, 2025 at 5:27 PM
witmerlab.bsky.social
Digging the new #WalkingWithDinosaurs on PBS. Fun to see a 3D print of our T. rex brain endocast show up, plus a clip from a vid we did for a museum (youtube.com/watch?v=WcR2...). @kakapojay.bsky.social at the BBC contacted me in 2023 for permission. 3D print your own T. rex endocast: skfb.ly/Mqsq !
June 17, 2025 at 6:27 PM