Internationally-renowned palaeolontologist Prof Robert Reisz studies teeth in dinosaurs and other fossils because they inform us about patterns of terrestrial vertebrate evolution. Prof Reisz will be exploring this topic in the last ANSTO Distinguished Lecture of the year on Thursday 15 December at 11am.
"They exhibit a remarkable amount of variation across modern lizards, crocodilians, and mammals," said Prof Reisz (below right), who is currently Vice Dean Graduate at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) and has a exceptional academic career in palaeontology.
Mammalian teeth which span a huge spectrum of shapes and dental tissue arrangements; together produce simple cones to complex grinding platforms that continue to be studied in great detail.
"My research group has used the available information on dentition in living reptiles and mammals, and applied it to the study of fossil vertebrates in order to understand the feeding behaviours and other aspects of the biology and evolutionary history of dinosaurs and other ancient terrestrial vertebrates," said Prof Reisz.
"In my lecture I will explore the amazing dental systems that dinosaurs have evolved in order to feed on plants and animals, and the evidence that supports the hypothesis that theropod dinosaurs had lips."
Prof Reisz completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at McGill University. He joined the UTM in 1975, becoming a full professor in the Department of Biology in 1989. Prof Reisz’s notable administrative roles include serving as Chair of the Department of Biology at UTM from 2005 to 2011.
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He has maintained a broad program of palaeontological exploration and research on a global scale, including Canada, USA, Europe, Russia, South Africa, Central Asia, and China that has revolutionized our understanding of many fascinating and important evolutionary events during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic Eras.
The prolific palaeontologist has published over 180 refereed papers, more than 150 published abstracts, book chapters, reviews, and popular articles (including more than a dozen publications in Nature and Science). Prof Reisz's publications , include the origins and evolutionary history of various groups of Paleozoic amniotes, the evolution of terrestrial amphibians, the origins of turtles, the evolution of early terrestrial ecosystems, and the initial stages of dinosaur evolution.
Prof Reisz is the recipient of numerous awards and honours including a University of Toronto Distinguished Professorship in Paleontology, Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada, and Directorship of the EOAS division of the Academy of Sciences (RSC) among others.
Date: Thursday 15 December 2016 at 11am/morning tea at 10:30am
Location: AINSE Theatre New Illawarra Road Lucas Heights NSW (Adjacent to ANSTO).
Cost: Free