Bio

Dr. Hartstone-Rose runs the Comparative Anatomy & Functional Morphology Research Lab in which he and his students study anatomical adaptation predominantly to dietary and locomotive specialization in mammals, especially primates and carnivores. They study this in live animals (e.g., feeding experiments), examination of muscles (e.g., the muscles of mastication), and analysis of bones and teeth (e.g., the parts of the skeletons that interact with foods) with the ultimate goal of using these analyses of modern animals to deduce the abilities (e.g., diets) of extinct species from their fossil remains. Dr. Hartstone-Rose also has several funded projects focused on the effects of participation in STEM activities on students’ interest in, and career orientation toward, STEM professions, particularly in students from historically marginalized backgrounds.

Awards

2025, Felllow of the American Association for Anatomy
2020, American Association of Anatomy’s BioArt Winner

Publications

• Anatomy in Cuvier's Paris: Broadening participation through an international research program for historically minoritized undergraduates , Anatomical Sciences Education (2026)
• Functional stabilization of wolf masticatory muscle architecture and convergence of attack and defense dog breeds with wolves , Research Square (2026)
• Commentary: The missing sabertooth baculum—At what point might the absence of evidence reasonably be considered evidence of absence? , The Anatomical Record (2025)
• Commentary: What's so interesting about sabertooths? , The Anatomical Record (2025)
• Exploring Demodex Mites on Captive Lemurs (Class: Arachnida , National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) (2025)
• Multi‐method analysis for the three‐dimensional reconstruction of muscle fascicles from DiceCT datasets , The Anatomical Record (2025)
• Perceptions of STEM Barriers in Adolescence: Examining Math Interest, Science Interest, and STEM Identity at Informal Science Learning Sites , Youth & Society (2025)
• STEM ability perceptions, basic needs satisfaction, and intrinsic motivation in adolescents: The role of inclusive perceptions in self-determination , PLoS ONE (2025)
• Taphonomic variation in vascular remains from Mesozoic non-avian dinosaurs , Scientific Reports (2025)
• The dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) resurrection that wasn't , The Anatomical Record (2025)