Holly Woodward Ballard is an American

paleontologist Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...

and paleohistologist.

Biography

Ballard is a paleohistologist known for her research in the field of

paleontology Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure ge ...

, particularly in the study of

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

bone tissue

microstructure Microstructure is the very small scale structure of a material, defined as the structure of a prepared surface of material as revealed by an optical microscope above 25× magnification. The microstructure of a material (such as metals, polymer ...

s to understand the growth and development of

extinct animals This page features lists of species and organisms that have become extinct. The reasons for extinction range from natural occurrences, such as shifts in the Earth's ecosystem or natural disasters, to human influences on nature by the overuse of n ...

Research

Ballard's research assesses

ontogenetic Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to the stu ...

growth and intra-specific variation in extinct

tetrapod A tetrapod (; from Ancient Greek :wiktionary:τετρα-#Ancient Greek, τετρα- ''(tetra-)'' 'four' and :wiktionary:πούς#Ancient Greek, πούς ''(poús)'' 'foot') is any four-Limb (anatomy), limbed vertebrate animal of the clade Tetr ...

s primarily through large-sample long-bone paleohistology, with a focus on non-avian dinosaurs. She also examines the intra-skeletal

histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissue (biology), tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at large ...

of extant

s to improve understanding of bone tissue microstructures for use as a foundation in paleohistological interpretations.

Publications

Ballard's notable publications include: * Growing up ''Tyrannosaurus rex'': Osteohistology refutes the pygmy “''Nanotyrannus''” and supports ontogenetic niche partitioning in juvenile ''Tyrannosaurus.'' * Ruling Reptiles: Crocodylian Biology and Archosaur Paleobiology. * The earliest Pleistocene record of a large-bodied hominin from the Levant supports two out-of-Africa dispersal events. * Archosauromorpha: Avemetatarsalia – Dinosaurs and Their Relatives.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballard, Holly Woodward 21st-century American biologists American paleontologists American evolutionary biologists Living people 21st-century American scientists Year of birth missing (living people)