Paleontology and Paleobiology
The CWRU Department of Anatomy has a long history of research in comparative anatomy and paleontology that includes strong links to the nearby Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Faculty in the department are active in field and laboratory research to recover fossil remains and explore the biology of ancient mammals, including humans. Faculty currently lead paleontological field research projects in Bolivia, Chile, Ethiopia, and Israel with opportunities for undergraduate and graduate student participation. Graduate students pursing degrees in paleontology and paleobiology generally apply through the Department of Biology.
In addition to teaching in the WR2 medical curriculum and the Applied Anatomy program, Paleontology and Paleobiology faculty are members of the advisory council for the Evolutionary Biology Program at CWRU and are fellows in the Institute for the Science of Origins.
Courses associated with these other programs that are taught by or involve Paleontology and Paleobiology faculty include:
- ORIG 101: Origins Prologue: Life, the Universe & Everything
- BIOL 225: Evolution
- BIOL 345/445: Mammal Diversity and Evolution
- ANTH 377/477: Human Osteology
- BIOL 388/388S: Independent Research
Paleontology and Paleobiology faculty are also involved with the Program in Evolutionary Medicine at CWRU. Evolutionary Medicine is a comparative and historical approach to functional anatomy that provides important insights into the historical underpinnings of contemporary health problems such as obstetric difficulties, spontaneous fractures of vertebrae, and fatigue fractures.
