1. Faculty and Staff
  2. Jennifer Peteya

Jennifer Peteya

Types:

Peteya
Title(s)
Assistant Professor
Department
Education

Ph.D. in Integrated Bioscience from The University of Akron

M.S. in Earth Sciences from The Ohio State University

B.S. in Geology from Mount Union College

Contact Information

Academic Areas

  • Anatomy and Physiology 1 Laboratory
  • Anatomy and Physiology 2 Laboratory
  • Principles of Biology Laboratory

Research Interests

Our lab is generally interested in soft tissues and molecules preserved in the fossil record. We aim to answer questions about extinct animals that were once thought unknowable – especially questions concerning their color. What colors were extinct animals? Did they have complex color patterns? How did they use these colors to interact with their environment? We are also interested how pigments and soft tissues are preserved millions of years after an animal has died. Students in our lab have the opportunity to learn microscopic imaging techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy, and chemical characterization techniques, such as Raman spectroscopy.

Recent publications

  • Justyn, N. M., Heine, K. B., Hood, W. R., Peteya, J. A., Shawkey, M. D., Weaver, R. J., Wang, B., and Hill, G. E. 2022. A combination of red structural and pigmentary coloration in the eyespot of a copepod. Journal of the Royal Society Interface: DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2022.0169.
  • Li, Q., Clarke, J. A., Gao, K., Peteya, J. A., and Shawkey, M. D. 2018. Elaborate plumage patterning in a Cretaceous bird. PeerJ: DOI: 10.7717/peerj.5831.
  • Wang, X., Huang, J., Hu, Y., Liu, X., Peteya, J., and Clarke, J. A. 2018. The earliest evidence for a supraorbital salt gland in dinosaurs in new Early Cretaceous ornithurines. Scientific Reports 8: DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-22412-8.
  • Justyn, N. M., Peteya, J. A., D’Alba, L., and Shawkey, M. D. 2017. Preferential attachment and colonization of the keratinolytic bacterium Bacillus licheniformis on black and white striped feathers. The Auk 134:466-473.
  • Peteya, J. A., Clarke, J. A., Li, Q., Gao, K., and Shawkey, M. D. 2017. The plumage and colouration of an enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of China. Palaeontology 60:55-71.
  • Huang, J., Wang, X., Hu, Y., Liu, J., Peteya, J. A., and Clarke, J. A. 2016. A new ornithurnine from the Early Cretaceous of China sheds light on the evolution of early ecological and cranial diversity in birds. PeerJ: DOI: 10.771/peerj.1765.