Imaging Technology Shows how Whales’ Sensory Systems have Evolved
If you’ve ever had an ear infection that made you dizzy or unbalanced, the infection likely was affecting your vestibular complex—part of the intricate system of hard and soft tissues that make up the inner ear. Knowledge of this structure has been made possible through computed tomography scans—imaging technology that continues to shape our understanding of evolution across species.
In a review of a century of research on sensory systems of whales, Rachel Racicot, research assistant professor of biological sciences, describes advances in the field and key questions that remain. The article, “Evolution of whale sensory ecology: Frontiers in nondestructive anatomical investigations” was published on Sept. 21 in the journal The Anatomical Record.