Technical Summary 
Genetics
To understand the role of skull development in primate evolution we must first understand the developmental and genetic basis of skull shape variation among living primates. To this end we are looking for genes that underlie patterns of skull shape in a large sample of pedigreed baboons from the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research.
Side view of 3D CT scan reconstructions of baboon and mouse skulls used for this project
Genes involved in skull development identified by analyzing the baboon sample will be further investigated using a population of laboratory mice. Once we have identified potential candidate genes—genes that we suspect are involved in producing variation in skull shape—we will investigate the role of these genes experimentally through studies of the timing and location of their expression in mice.
Example of a mouse embryo used for gene expression studies. The location of expression (function) of a particular gene is marked by dark purple in this experiment.
