Lawrence Witmer, Ph.D.

威特默博士的愿景是“利用灭绝动物和现代动物的结构来解释进化史，并与更广泛的群体分享这段历史。”

这项任务对他很有帮助。 威特默因其对恐龙的研究和发现而闻名于世，并经常被要求为各种电视网络和无数印刷出版物和期刊上的节目提供原始材料、专业知识和解释。

His work has been the subject of many popular television programs on networks such as the Discovery Channel, History Channel, National Geographic Channel and CBS.

The public attention results from Witmer's innovative approach to prehistoric anatomy. His research lab was among the first to utilize computerized tomography (CT) scanning and computer visualization in paleontological research. The CT combines a series of X-ray views from various angles and produces cross-sectional images. Using 3-dimensional images of bone cavities, Witmer attempts to "fill in" the missing soft tissue, a process he calls "fleshing out" fossils.

Using these technologies, Witmer also compares the anatomy of modern animals with prehistoric fossils to reveal how ancient beasts may have lived and evolved.

As a result, the projects are diverse, ranging from studies of the nasal apparatus of Diplodocus to the brain and ear of T. rex to the horns of rhinos to the airflow in alligator heads, and more. In his words, this research looks beyond "the narrow time-plane in which we live" to broaden our understanding of previous anatomical systems.

Witmer's numerous studies have produced dynamic findings about dinosaur brain size, temperature regulation, communication and breathing processes.

Anatomy is the team's stock-in-trade, because anatomical details record the evolution of adaptation, he says. Their study provides a better understanding of the vertebrate head: how it works "from physiology to biomechanics" and how it evolves.