Research Projects

The Mammalogy Research Group is working on the establishment of a comprehensive dentition database. It comprises 1. a worldwide unique comparative collection of high-resolution impressions of molars and premolars of fossil and recent artiodactyla, perissodactyla and primates, and 2. a digital database now comprising over 70,100 entries, in which dentition data are linked to habitat data. The records describe 444 recent and fossil ... [ more ]

In Central Africa, depositional environments that could provide fossils and other habitat evidence are almost completely absent. The deeper history of the Zambezi ecozone is therefore extremely poorly understood in terms of its timing and the interactions of climate, habitat and life. Recently discovered sequences of well-dated fossil-bearing cave deposits in Zambia now allow for the first time an integrated analysis ... [ more ]

The topography of the occlusal surface is the decisive mechanical "interface" of the mastication process. During mastication, forces act in the interdental space that displace and accelerate the spatulated food substrate. In the process, the mixture of liquid and solid components passes through large pressure and velocity gradients in the narrowing gap ... [ more ]

Collaborative Research: Marine mammals comprise top predators and upper trophic levels in oceanic ecosystems of the world. They are increasingly threatened by various anthropogenic impacts in their marine habitat, e.g. pollution by chemical and pharmaceutical substances, marine litter (plastics and nanoparticles), noise, changes in prey abundance, and climate change ... [ mehr ]

The development of the biomechanical fundamentals of occlusion mechanics is being advanced through the implementation of design engineering methods on biomechanical issues. The modelling of force processes in the enamel of herbivore molars is being investigated by means of the finite element method in cooperation with Prof. U. Witzel, Ruhr University Bochum in high-resolution computer simulations ... [ more ]

Collaborative research at DESY: PI: Dr. Ellen Schulz Kornas. The three-dimensional microstructural organization and the mechanical behavior of the dental hard tissues (enamel, dentine and cementum) as well as the soft tissue located between the tooth and the bone (i.e. the periodontal ligament, PDL) is still poorly understood ... [ mehr ]

The aim of this project is to compare the distribution patterns of different baleen whale species with the distribution of krill in Antarctica. Krill is the main food of all baleen whales that come to Antarctica every austral summer to feed. Information on ecological relationships between whales and krill provides an important basis for conservation and management ... [ more ]