Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan is a South African vertebrate

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

known for her expertise and developments in the study of the microstructure of fossil teeth and bones of extinct and extant vertebrates. She was the head of the Department of Biological Sciences (originally the Department of Zoology), at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

from 2012 to 2015 .

Education and career

Chinsamy-Turan received a B.Sc. from the University of Witwatersrand in 1983 and a B.Sc. Honours in 1984, a U.H.D.E. (University Higher Diploma in Education) from the University of Durban-Westville (now called University of Kwazulu-Natal) in 1985, and a Ph.D. (1991) from Witwatersrand. She then proceeded to do a postdoctorate at the University of Pennsylvania (1992-1994). She is the author of six books; two academic works, ''The Microstructure of Dinosaur Bone - Deciphering Biology Through Fine Scale Techniques'', published in 2005, by the

Johns Hopkins University Press The Johns Hopkins University Press (also referred to as JHU Press or JHUP) is the publishing division of Johns Hopkins University. It was founded in 1878 and is the oldest continuously running university press in the United States. The press publi ...

and ''Forerunners of Mammals -Radiation. Biology'' published by the

Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes 140 ...

in 2012; a children's book, ''Famous dinosaurs of Africa'', published in 2008, and a popular level book, ''Fossils For Africa'', published in 2014 by Cambridge University Press. Her two most recent books (2021) are fior children and are entitled "Dinosaurs and other Prehistoric life" and " African Dinosaurs".

Awards

Chinsamy-Turan won "Distinguished Women Scientist Award" from the South African Department of Science and Technology in 2002, and won the "South African Woman of the Year Award" in 2005. The National Research Foundation of South Africa awarded her its "President's Award" in 1995 and the "Transformation Award" in 2012. In 2013, she won

The World Academy of Science The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is a merit-based science academy established for developing countries, uniting 1,000 scientists in some 70 countries. Its principal aim is to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable devel ...

(TWAS) Sub-Saharan Prize for the Public Understanding and Popularization of Science.

Selected publications

*Chinsamy, A, Buffetaut, E, Angst, D., Canoville, A. 2014. Insight into the growth dynamics and systematic affinities of the Late Cretaceous Gargantuavis from bone microstructure. ''

Naturwissenschaften ''The Science of Nature'', formerly ''Naturwissenschaften'', is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Springer Science+Business Media covering all aspects of the natural sciences relating to questions of biological significance. I ...

'' 101:447-452 * Chinsamy, A., Chiappe, L., Marugán-Lobón, J., Chunling, G. and Fengjiao, Z. 2013. Gender Identification of the Mesozoic bird ''

Confuciusornis sanctus ''Confuciusornis'' is a genus of basal crow-sized avialan from the Early Cretaceous Period of the Yixian and Jiufotang Formations of China, dating from 125 to 120 million years ago. Like modern birds, ''Confuciusornis'' had a toothless beak, bu ...

''. '' Nature Communications''. * Chinsamy, A. Thomas, D. B., Tumarkin-Deratzian, A. & A. Fiorillo. 2012. Hadrosaurs were perennial polar residents. '' Anatomical Record'', 295 (4): 551–714. *Jasinoski, S.C. and A. Chinsamy. 2012. Mandibular histology and growth of the non-mammaliaform cynodont Tritylodon. '' Journal of Anatomy'', 220 (6): 564–579. * Cerda, I. A. & Chinsamy. 2012. Biological Implications of the bone microstructure of the Late Cretaceous ornithopod dinosaur ''

Gasparinisaura cincosaltensis ''Gasparinisaura'' (meaning "Gasparini's lizard") is a genus of herbivorous ornithopod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. The first fossils of ''Gasparinisaura'' were found in 1992 near Cinco Saltos in Río Negro Province, Argentina. The type sp ...

''. '' Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology''. 32(2):355-368. * Chinsamy, A., Codorniu, L. and L. Chiappe. 2009 The Bone Microstructure of Pterodaustro guinazui. '' Anatomical Record'' 292: 1462–1477. *Chinsamy, A., and Tumarkin-Deratzian, A. 2009. Pathological bone tissue in a turkey vulture and a nonavian dinosaur. '' Anatomical Record'' 292: 1478-1484

External links

Website at University of Cape Town
*

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya 1962 births Living people South African paleontologists Women paleontologists University of the Witwatersrand alumni University of Durban-Westville alumni Academic staff of the University of Cape Town Fellows of the Royal Society of South Africa South African women scientists 21st-century women scientists