CARTA to digitize extensive primate collection this summer

The chimpanzee specimens and records, which include an extensive collection of skeletons, radiographs, blood serum samples, and observation logs, were donated by the Primate Foundation of Arizona (PFA), which cared for the animals after they were "retired" from zoos or brought to the foundation by owners unable to care for them. All samples were collected in the course of routine medical care, or from chimpanzees who had died of natural causes.

In addition to the digital cataloging of those specimens and records, researchers from the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at UC San Diego, along with other university scientists and faculty, are planning to perform computerized axial tomography (CT) scans of the chimpanzee skeletons in the collection. SDSC researchers successfully performed the first test CT scans of a chimpanzee skull at UC San Diego's Thornton Hospital in April, using the facility's mobile 16-slice GE CT unit during off-hours. Digital animations were developed from those first scans.