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have revolutionized the field. A considerable number of paleontologists spe-
cialize in functional morphology. Those practicing in this relatively new
field often have only sketchy evidence to work with; yet they are required to
understand and synthesize—literally to "flesh out the bones"—in such a way
as to bring extinct creatures to life. Yet functional morphology is not re-
stricted to those who study the fossil record. The living as well as the long
dead are scrutinized, and often it is an understanding of the living relatives
of extinct animals that makes possible a critical insight or breakthrough.
Perhaps the most challenging functional interpretation occurs when
we address a creature that has no living counterparts. Many of the Burgess
Shale creatures of Cambrian fame (found on a mountainside in British Co-
lumbia and vividly described by Stephen Jay Gould in
Wonderful Life)
are in
this category. They often look like nothing still alive, and understanding the
function of their peculiar bodies has taxed the imagination and skill of many
scientists. Yet sooner or later, some insight is reached, and more often than
not the critical breakthrough comes from two sources: a better understand-
ing of similar bodies or body parts among the closest living forms (even if
they are only distantly related) and analyses that borrow from tool kits em-
ployed by engineers. In fact, the discipline of functional morphology is
rapidly being co-opted by engineers who have found that studying animals is
much more fun than building bridges!
One of the great advantages of this type of work is that several new ap-
proaches enable us to "revive" long-extinct animals with computer technol-
ogy. We can make "virtual animals" by recreating them on computer screens,
using the same sorts of imaging and technology that brought the dinosaurs of
Jurassic Park back to life. Dinosaurs may be long dead, but we can study their
computer images. We can often achieve new insights into their biology just
by seeing the reconstructed animals on the screen. And there are even more
powerful applications. Frequently, parts of ancient animals are reconstructed
and then subjected to various computer-simulated pressures, stresses, and
strains—an imaginary animal encountering imaginary forces. Yet the results
are anything but imaginaty; they can lead to critical insights. Virtual model-
ing is a very powerful time machine.
