Evolution of human bipedality and encephalization
Evolution of the musculoskeletal system of hominoids
Ontogenetic shape changes during the fetal period in hominoids
How can the featureless morphologies be quantified?
I was born in Wakayama, Japan. After finishing a master program at Kyoto University (biological science), I did my PhD at University of Zurich, Switzerland (Anthropology, Natural Sciences).
I'm now back at Kyoto University, doing research and education.
Address
Laboratory of Physical Anthropology
Faculty of Science, Kyoto University
Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, 606-8502 Kyoto, Japan
morimoto(at)anthro.zool.kyoto-u.ac.jp
2014- Physical Anthropology II、Biological Experiments、Advanced Biological Experiments、Biological Seminar(Kyoto University)
2014-2016 ILAS Sminar: introduction to physical anthropology(Kyoto University)
2012 Paleoanthropology(teaching assistant: University of Zurich)
2011-2013 Evolutionary and functional morphology of primates(teaching assistant: University of Zurich)
2010-2012 Geometric morphometrics(teaching assistant: University of Zurich)
Papers in refereed journals
Tomizawa Y*, Pina M, Kikuchi Y, Morimoto N, Nakatsukasa M. 2025. Femoral neck cortical bone distribution in Nacholapithecus from the Middle Miocene of Kenya. Journal of Human Evolution 198, 103617.
Tomizawa, Y., Nakatsukasa, M., Ponce de León, M. S., Zollikofer, C. P. E., and Morimoto, N. Shaft structure of the first metatarsal contains a strong phylogenetic signal in apes and humans. American Journal of Biological Anthropology, e24987. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24987
Morimoto N*, Kawada M, Tomizawa Y, Kaneko A, Nishimura T. 2023. Pelvic shape change in adult Japanese macaques and implications for childbirth at old age. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States 120, e2300714120.
Morita W, Morimoto N, Otsu K and Miura T. 2022. Stripe and spot selection in cusp patterning of mammalian molar formation. Scientific Reports. 12 (1) 9149
Kawada M*, Nakatsukasa M, Nishimura T, Kaneko A, Ogihara N, Yamada S, Coudyzer W, Zollikofer CPE, Ponce de León MS, and Morimoto N* 2022. Human shoulder development is adapted to obstetrical constraints. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States. 119 (16): e2114935119, doi: 10.1073/pnas.2114935119
Tajika A, Morimoto N, and Landman NH. 2021. Significance of the suture line in cephalopod taxonomy revealed by 3D morphometrics in the modern nautilids Nautilus and Allonautilus. Scientific Reports, 11(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-021-96611-1
Shibusawa N, Endo Y, Morimoto N, Takahashi I, and Miura T. 2021. Mathematical modeling of palatal suture pattern formation: morphological differences between sagittal and palatal sutures. Scientific Reports, 11(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-021-88255-y
Urciuoli A, Zanolli C, Almécija S, Beaudet A, Dumoncel J, Morimoto N, Nakatsukasa M, Moyà-Solà S, Begun DR, and Alba DM. 2021. Reassessment of the phylogenetic relationships of the late Miocene apes Hispanopithecus and Rudapithecus based on vestibular morphology. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States 118(5):e2015215118.
Morita W, Morimoto N, and Jernvall J. 2020. Mapping molar shapes on signaling pathways. PLOS Computational Biology 16(12):e1008436.
Kawada M*, Nakatsukasa M, Nishimura T, Kaneko A, and Morimoto N*. 2020. Covariation of fetal skull and maternal pelvis during the perinatal period in rhesus macaques and evolution of childbirth in primates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States 117(35):21251-21257.
Morimoto N*, Kunimatsu Y, Nakatsukasa M, Ponce de León MS, Zollikofer CPE, Ishida H, Sasaki T, and Suwa G. 2020. Variation of bony labyrinthine morphology in Mio−Plio−Pleistocene and modern anthropoids. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 173(2):276-292.
Tajika A, Landman N, Morimoto N, Ikuno K, Linn T. 2020. Patterns of intraspecific variation through ontogeny–a case study of the cretaceous nautilid Eutrephoceras dekayi and modern Nautilus pompilius. Paleontology 63(5), 807-820.
Tajika A, Landman NH, Hoffmann R, Lemanis R, Morimoto N, Ifrim C, Klug C. 2020. Chamber volume development, metabolic rates, and selective extinction in cephalopods. Scientific Reports 10:2950.
Tsubamoto T, Kunimatsu Y, Sakai T, Saneyoshi M, Shimizu D, Morimoto N, Nakaya H, Handa N, Tanabe Y, Manthi FK, Nakatsukasa M. 2020. A new species of Nyanzachoerus (Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Suidae, Tetraconodontinae) from the Upper Miocene Nakali Formation, Kenya. Paleontological Research 24:41-63, 23.
Morita W*, Morimoto N*, Kono RT, Suwa G. 2020. Metameric variation of upper molars in hominoids and its implications for the diversification of molar morphogenesis. Journal of Human Evolution 138:102706.*equal contribution
Tsubamoto T, Kunimatsu Y, Sakai T, Saneyoshi M, Shimizu D, Morimoto N, Nakaya H, Handa N, Tanabe Y, Manthi K, Nakatsukasa M. 2020. A new species of Nyanzachoerus (Mammalia, Artiodactyla, Suidae, Tetraconodontinae) from the upper Miocene Nakali Formation, Kenya . Paleontological Research 24(1), 41-63, 23.
Nakatsukasa M, Morimoto N, Nishimura T. 2019. Sesamoids of the pollical metacarpophalangeal joint and the evolution of the hominoid hands. Anthropological Science 127(3), 159-164.
Nishimura T, Morimoto N, and Ito T. 2019. Shape variation in the facial part of the cranium in macaques and African papionins using geometric morphometrics. Primates 60(5):401-419.
Morimoto N*, Nakatsukasa M, Ponce de León MS, Zollikofer CPE. 2018. Femoral ontogeny in humans and great apes and its implications for their last common ancestor. Scientific Reports 8:1930.
Tajika A, Morimoto N, Wani R, Klug C. 2018. Intraspecific variation in cephalopod conchs changes during ontogeny: perspectives from three-dimensional morphometry of Nautilus pompilius. Paleobiology:1-13.
Katsube M, Yamada S, Miyazaki R, Yamaguchi Y, Makishima H, Takakuwa T, Yamamoto A, Fujii Y, Morimoto N, Ito T, Imai H, Suzuki S. 2017. Quantitation of nasal development in the early prenatal period using geometric morphometrics and MRI: a new insight into the critical period of Binder phenotype. Prenatal Diagnosis 37:907-915.
Kunimatsu Y, Tsujikawa H, Nakatsukasa M, Shimizu D, Ogihara N, Kikuchi Y, Nakano Y, Takano T, Morimoto N, Ishida H. 2017. A new species of Mioeuoticus (Lorisiformes, Primates) from the early Middle Miocene of Kenya. Anthropol Sci 125:59-65.
Tsubamoto T, Kunimatsu Y, Sakai T, Saneyoshi M, Shimizu D, Morimoto N, Nakaya H, Nakatsukasa M. 2017. Listriodontine Suid and Tragulid Artiodactyls (Mammalia) from the Upper Miocene Nakali Formation, Kenya. Paleontological Research 21:347-357.
Morita W*, Morimoto N*, Kunimatsu Y, Mazurier A, Zanolli C, Nakatsukasa M. 2017. A morphometric mapping analysis of lower fourth deciduous premolar in hominoids: Implications for phylogenetic relationship between Nakalipithecus and Ouranopithecus. Comptes Rendus Palevol 16:655-669. *equal contribution
Morita W*, Morimoto N*, Ohshima H. 2016. Exploring metameric variation in human molars: a morphological study using morphometric mapping. Journal of Anatomy 229:343-355. *equal contribution
Tajika A, Morimoto N, Wani R, Naglik C, Klug C. 2015. Intraspecific variation of phragmocone chamber volumes throughout ontogeny in the modern nautilid Nautilus and the Jurassic ammonite Normannites. PeerJ 3:e1306.
Morimoto N*, Suwa G, Nishimura T, Ponce de León MS, Zollikofer CPE, Lovejoy CO, Nakatsukasa M. 2015. Let bone and muscle talk together: a study of real and virtual dissection and its implications for femoral musculoskeletal structure of chimpanzees. The Anatomical Record 226:258-267.
Morimoto N*, Ponce de León MS, Zollikofer CPE. 2014. Phenotypic variation in infants, not adults, reflects genotypic variation among chimpanzees and bonobos. PLOS ONE 9:e102074.
Koyabu D, Werneburg I, Morimoto N, Zollikofer CPE, Forasiepi AM, Endo H, Kimura J, Ohdachi SD, Truong Son N, Sánchez-Villagra MR. 2014. Mammalian skull heterochrony reveals modular evolution and a link between cranial development and brain size. Nature Communications 5.
Tajika A, Naglik C, Morimoto N, Pascual-Cebrian E, Hennhöfer D, Klug C. 2014. Empirical 3D model of the conch of the Middle Jurassic ammonite microconch Normannites: its buoyancy, the physical effects of its mature modifications and speculations on their function. Historical Biology:1-11.
Morimoto N*, Zollikofer CPE, Ponce de León MS. 2012. Shared human-chimpanzee pattern of perinatal femoral shaft morphology and its implications for the evolution of hominin locomotor adaptations. PLOS ONE 7:e41980.
Falk D, Zollikofer CP, Morimoto N, Ponce de León MS. 2012. Metopic suture of Taung (Australopithecus africanus) and its implications for hominin brain evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States 109:8467-8470.
Morimoto N*, Zollikofer CPE, Ponce de León MS. 2011. Femoral morphology and femoropelvic musculoskeletal anatomy of humans and great apes: a comparative virtopsy study. The Anatomical Record 294:1433-1445.
Morimoto N*, Zollikofer CPE, Ponce de León MS. 2011. Exploring femoral diaphyseal shape variation in wild and captive chimpanzees by means of morphometric mapping: a test of Wolff’s Law. The Anatomical Record 294:589-609.
Morimoto N*, Ogihara N, Katayama K, Shiota K. 2008. Three-dimensional ontogenetic shape changes in the human cranium during the fetal period. Journal of Anatomy 212:627-635.
Reviews
Morimoto N. What could hominoid fetuses tell us about human evolution? The Anatomical Record 301: 970-972.
Papers in refereed conference proceedings volumes
Morimoto N, Zollikofer CPE, Ponce de León MS. 2011. Visualization and quantitative analysis of human femoral diaphysis. In: Lestrel P, editor. BIOLOGICAL SHAPE ANALYSIS: Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing of Singapore. p 266-273.
Conference presentations
Morimoto N, Ponce de León M, Zollikofer CPE. 2014. Neutral and adaptive evolution of femoral morphology: a comparative study of developmental variation within and between Pan taxa. The 83rd Annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Calgary, Canada.
Morimoto N, Ponce de León M, Zollikofer CPE. 2013. Femoral morphology and evolution of hominoid locomotion: insight from fetuses of humans and great apes. The 82nd Annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Knoxville, Tennessee, US.
Morimoto N, Ponce de León M, Zollikofer CPE. 2012. Structure-function-phylogeny relationship of hominoids: a morphometric mapping study of perinatal femoral morphology in humans and great apes. The 66th Annual meeting of the anthropological society of Japan Kanagawa, Japan.
Morimoto N, Ponce de León M, Zollikofer CPE. 2012. Ontogenetic patterns of long bone shape of humans and great apes. The 81st Annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Portland, Oregon, US.
Morimoto N, Ponce de León M, Zollikofer CPE. 2010. Ontogenetic patterns of long bone shape of humans and great apes. The 79th Annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Albuquerque, New Mexico, US.
Morimoto N. 2009. Ontogenetic patterns of sexual dimorphism in long bone shape of gorillas. The 63nd Annual meeting of the anthropological society of Japan. Tokyo, Japan.
Morimoto N, Ponce de León M, Zollikofer CPE. 2009. Visualization and quantitative analysis of morphological variation of long bone shape in human and great apes. The 1st International Symposium of Biological Shape Analysis. Tsukuba, Japan.
Morimoto N, Ponce de León M, Zollikofer CPE. 2008. Visualization and quantitative analysis of morphological variation of long bone shape in human and great ape fetuses. The 62nd Annual meeting of the anthropological society of Japan. Nagoya, Japan.
Conference presentations (coauthored)
Morita W, Morimoto N, Jernvall J. 2018. A morphometric mapping analysis of mice molar morphology. JOINT MEETING 6th International Conference of Rodent Biology and Management &16th Rodens et Spatium. Potsdam, Germany.
Tajika A, Morimoto N, Wani R, Klug C. 2017. Patterns of intraspecific variation in cephalopods - new data from 3D morphometry of Nautilus shells. GSA meeting. Seattle, Washington, US.
Morita W, Morimoto N, Ohshima H. 2016. Testing odontogenetic models in human molars: quantifying metameric variaton by morphometric mapping. Tooth Morphogenesis and Differentiation 2016. Porvoo, Finland.
Morita W, Morimoto N, Ida-Yonemochi H, Ohshima H. 2015. Quantitative analysis in mouse lower molars by means of morphometric mapping. Tripartite Conference on Tooth and Bone: Development & Regeneration. Narita, Japan.
Morita W, Morimoto N, Ida-Yonemochi H, Takeuchi K, Igarashi M, Ohshima H. 2015. Linking genotype to phenotype in mice molars by means of morphometric mapping. The 120th Annual Meeting of The Japanese Association of Anatomists. Kobe, Japan.
Nakatsukasa M, Mbua E, Morimoto N, Shimizu D, Yutaka K. 2014. Unique body proportions of Microcolobus. The 83rd Annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Calgary, Canada.
Hatt J-M, Zollikofer CPE, Thali M, Kircher PR, Morimoto N, Ponce de León M. 2013. The virtual ape project – more than a source of anatomy for veterinarians, anthropologists and primatologists. The 45th Annual meeting of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians. Salt Lake City, Utah, US.
Covers and media clips
Professional appointments
2021- Associate professor (Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University)
2013-2021 Assistant professor (Laboratory of Physical Anthropology, Faculty of Science, Kyoto University)
2013 Post-doctoral fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (Kyoto University; JSPS, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science)
2012-2013 Post-doctoral fellow (University of Zurich, Switzerland)
Education
2012 PhD (Dr. sc. nat., University of Zurich, Switzerland; Prof. Zollikofer and Dr. Ponce de León)
Thesis available online at: http://www.zora.uzh.ch/75807/
Dissertation committee: H. Bucher, M. Sánchez, H. Bagheri, C. van Schaik
2007 MSc (Kyoto University, Japan)
2005 BSc (Kyoto University, Japan)
Grants and Fellowships
2013-(2015)Grant for Post-doctoral fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science)
"Indicators of locomotor and manipulative behaviors in hand and foot bones of hominoids"
2010 Schultz Foundation (University of Zurich)
Awards
2014 Best oral presentation (30th Annual meeting of Primate Society of Japan)
2012 Faculty award for excellent scientific work (Faculty of Natural Science, University of Zurich)
Field work
Nakali, Kenya (lead by Prof. Nakatsukasa)
Dmanisi, Georgia (lead by Prof. David Lordkipanidze)
Dederiyeh in Syria (lead by Prof. Takeru Akazawa)