Rio Baran, a member of Princeton University’s Class of 2025, embarked on a unique research journey to study the isotopic composition of modern plants in order to gain insights into the diets and habitats of dinosaurs. Her work took her to a hidden ravine where she examined a towering 350-foot California redwood. Guided by a botanist, Baran collected samples including soil, water, and various plant species for isotopic analysis.
Baran’s senior thesis aimed to use these isotopes to better understand the ecological interactions of long-extinct dinosaurs. Her advisor, geosciences professor John Higgins, praised her commitment: “Rio is an exceptional undergraduate student… She’s very committed to all kinds of geosciences.” In addition to her work in California, Baran conducted fieldwork in diverse locations such as the Australian outback and the Alaskan Arctic.
Isotopes serve as chemical fingerprints that can reveal how elements move through ecosystems. Baran sought to explore how calcium and magnesium isotopes varied across different plant species and parts within the same tree. This approach allowed her to draw parallels with dinosaur diets by examining similar isotope patterns found in fossilized teeth.
Her research represents the first published study combining magnesium and calcium isotopes together across various plant samples. The findings suggested differences among species like tanoak and redwoods compared to ferns or sorrel. More broadly, Baran concluded that studying these isotopes together offers deeper insights into ecological variations and ancient diets.
Professor Higgins highlighted Baran’s ability to ask probing questions: “Academic research is ultimately driven by creativity and curiosity… That iterative process of discovery is at the heart of what research is.”
The implications of Baran’s work extend beyond paleontology; they offer potential applications for understanding nutrient cycles in agriculture and broader environmental processes. Her study underscores our interconnectedness through time: “Across space, across time, across species,” she wrote in her thesis appendix, “we are all tied together by the movement of isotopes.”
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