Summary of UFOP, GBC Meeting Kathleen Ritterbush

00:00:00 - 00:50:00

This video discusses the importance of ammonites as index fossils, and how they have been valuable for paleontology for years. It also introduces the paleobiology database, which is a global collaboration of taking published specimens and putting them in an online tally.

• 00:00:00 The video discusses the importance of ammonites as index fossils, and how they have been valuable for paleontology for years. It also introduces the paleobiology database, which is a global collaboration of taking published specimens and putting them in an online tally.
• 00:05:00 The video discusses the ammonites and their taxonomy, and how the Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction led to a boom in the number of these fossils. It also discusses the post-extinction period, during which ammonites experienced a resurgence.
• 00:10:00 This video discusses why extinct animals look like snakes, and how their different sizes and shapes may indicate different metabolic rates. It also discusses how to approach the problem of estimating the metabolic rate of extinct animals, and how their bodies may have adapted to different environments over time.
• 00:15:00 Nick Hebden and David Peterman collaborated on a study of hydrostatics, or how these animals balance in water. The study involved building a mobile rig to measure how a chamber nautilus and squid swim.
• 00:20:00 This video explains how David Peterman, a physics student, used 3D printing and models to successfully reconstruct ichthyosaur skeletons. His work helped to show that biomechanics play a role in skeletal reconstruction, and that an understanding of how water flows around objects can be used in skeletal reconstruction.
• 00:25:00 In this video, a group of researchers discuss their work on modelling and reconstructing various shell shapes. One of their main interests is the stability of animals in their preferred orientation, and they discuss how a nautilus (a species of shellfish) can achieve this. They also discuss how a nautilus' external shape can be broken down into three categories - streamlined, inflated, and coiled up snake. Finally, they show a 3D model of a nautilus and explain how a scanner can be used to create a replica.
• 00:30:00 The presenter describes how they used 3D models to identify the properties of water flow around an ammonite fossil. They also discuss how the models can be used to ground truth experimental results.
• 00:35:00 The video discusses how a shell's shape affects its drag, and how this drag can change depending on the speed at which the shell is moving. The video also describes how different types of drag behave on a log scale.
• 00:40:00 Through the water, a shape tells you about a person's cross-sectional area, which affects the drag they experience. Turbulent flow is unavoidable for these animals, and the crossing point is important because it determines a person's drag. Different shapes have different drag values, depending on their size and speed. When a person is big or fast, the drag cost of being streamlined increases. In this video, Kathleen Ritterbush discusses the importance of streamlining for swimming, and how it affects different shapes. Finally, she introduces the concept of dynamism, which is important for robotics.
• 00:45:00 In the video, Peterman explains how he has built a robot that is able to squirt water on command, based on his heart rate and desired squirt volume. The robot is able to replicate the movements of a real, live ammonite. The video ends with Peterman demonstrating the robot's ability to twirl in a circle.
• 00:50:00 The video discusses the issues of pressure drag and hydrostatic instability in animals, and introduces Sarah Crump, an assistant professor in the department of geology and geophysics at the University of Utah who is leaving to take a position at the University of Colorado Boulder. It notes that Sarah Crump is an incredible person, and that if you're familiar with her, you can donate to her Caring Bridge account.