A new online database, hosted on MorphoSource, offers over 6,000 3D scans of primate skeletons from various prestigious institutions. This resource features nearly 400 digitized adult primates, including great apes and various monkeys, aiding researchers studying physical characteristics in phenomics. Curators highlighted the importance of the database in alleviating wear on physical specimens and its potential to advance scientific research in primate morphology and human origins. The collection, deemed the largest of its kind, emphasizes the value of open data sharing for the sciences.
One of our concerns for the primate collection, which is very heavily used, has always been wear and tear of the specimens. We've seen different sets of researchers measuring and scanning the same items again and again.
Open data sharing is essential to equal advancement in all fields of science, noting that 3D scanning of important specimens is often an on-demand process.
Being able to share these 3D scans with researchers around the world is huge and reduces possible damage to the collection items.
They say it is the largest 3D morphological dataset of its kind in primates, enabling more comprehensive research and could advance the study of human origins.
Collection
[
|
...
]