Getting under a fossil's skin: how CT scans have changed palaeontology

Scanning is leading to huge breakthroughs. For example, we’ve now found the world’s oldest chameleons and know why giant wombats were air-heads Palaeontologists seem to be CT-scanning everything these days. A paper published in March by an international team led by Juan D. Daza, used scans to get a better look at fossil lizards encased in 99 million year old amber. These tropical lizards from Myanmar can be seen in their orange, glass-like tombs with the naked eye, but not in great detail. Using CT-scanning meant scientists were able to examine not only the scaled skin of these fossils, but the internal bones and soft tissues, allowing them to identify five major groups of reptile. This includes the oldest chameleon ever found, complete with the long projectile tongue so characteristic of their feeding. This pushes the palaeontological record for chameleons back an extra 80 million years – an astonishing discovery from these little glowing time capsulesBut what exactly is a CT scanner? Why has this medical machine become a powerful tool in modern palaeontological research? Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 30, 2016 Category: Science Authors: Elsa Panciroli Tags: Science Fossils Technology Biology Source Type: news