Development and applications of paleontological computed tomography
Received date: 2017-08-08
Online published: 2019-01-20
The traditional serial grinding method used to investigate the internal structure of fossils cannot be readily applied to valuable fossil specimens due to its destructive and time-consuming nature. Computed tomography (CT) is an ideal non-destructive technique for investigating the internal structure of fossils, in which thousands of serial images are obtained and used to produce an accurate reconstruction of the internal morphology. This paper reviews the design, development and applications of the first CT system in China dedicated exclusively to scanning fossils. The 225 kV three-dimensional (3D) fossil micro-CT (225-3D-μCT) is capable of high-resolution volumetric imaging, with a resolution up to 5 μm, and can accommodate specimens measuring up to 100 mm in diameter and 100 mm in length. The 450 kV ordinary fossil CT (450-TY-ICT) can produce high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) images of specimens ranging up to 800 mm in diameter and 1000 mm in length, with a resolution up to 200 μm. Two paleontological CT facilities represent a high-performance platform offering the functional diversity needed to meet the demands of studying fossils at a variety of different scales. The two machines have become indispensable for paleontological research in China.
Key words： fossils; industrial computed tomography; paleontology
WANG Yan-Fang, WEI Cun-Feng, QUE Jie-Min, ZHANG Wen-Ding, SUN Cui-Li, SHU Yan-Feng, HOU Ye-Mao, ZHANG Jiu-Chang, SHI Rong-Jian, WEI Long . Development and applications of paleontological computed tomography[J]. Vertebrata Palasiatica, 2019 , 57(1) : 84 -92 . DOI: 10.19615/j.cnki.1000-3118.170921
| 1 | Beall J L, Gordon I T, Gournay J P et al., 1996, Analysis of porosity in lower Ismay phylloid algal packstone using high-resolution computed X-ray tomography. Am Assoc Petrol Geol, Ann Meet Abstr, 5:13 |
| 2 | Clarke J A, Tambussi C P, Noriega J I et al., 2005. First definitive fossil evidence for part of the extant avian radiation in the Cretaceous. Nature, 433:305-308 |
| 3 | Kearney M, Maisano J A, Rowe T , 2005. Cranial anatomy of the extinct amphisbaenian Rhineura hatcherii (Squamata, Amphisbaenia) based on high-resolution X-ray computed tomography. Morphology, 264:1-33 |
| 4 | Keyes W , 1962. A new instrument for the serial grinding of invertebrate fossils. New Zeal J Geol Geophys, 5(1):46-54 |
| 5 | Kyle J R, Ketcham R A, Mote A S , 2004. Contributions of high resolution X-ray computed tomography to ore studies. In: Muhling J et al. eds. Extended Abstracts, Predictive Mineral Discovery Under Cover. Perth: University of Western Australia. 387-390 |
| 6 | Liu W, Schepartz L A, Xing S , 2013. Late Middle Pleistocene hominin teeth from Panxian Dadong, South China. J Hum Evol, 64(5):337-355 |
| 7 | Lu J, Zhu M, Long J A et al., 2012. The earliest known stem-tetrapod from the Lower Devonian of China. Nat Commun, 3:1160 |
| 8 | Mark D S , 2008. Tomographic techniques for the study of exceptionally preserved fossils. Proc Biol Sci, 275:1587-1593 |
| 9 | Mickler P J, Ketcham R A, Colbert M W et al., 2004. Application of high-resolution X-ray computed tomography in determining the suitability of speleothem for use in paleoclimatic, paleohydrologic reconstructions. J Cave Karst Stud, 66(1):3-8 |
| 10 | Shen G J, Wang W, Wang Q et al., 2002. U-Series dating of Liujiang hominid site in Guangxi, southern China. J Hum Evol, 43:817-829 |
| 11 | Wang Y F, Que J M, Cao D Q et al., 2013. Measurement of the spatial resolution and the relative density resolution in an industrial cone-beam micro computed tomography system. Chinese Phys C, 37(7):93-100 |
| 12 | Wu X J, Liu W, Dong W et al., 2008. The brain morphology of Homo Liujiang cranium fossil by three-dimensional computed tomography. Chinese Sci Bull, 53(13):1570-1575 |
| 13 | Wu X J, Schepartz L A, Liu W et al., 2011. Antemortem trauma and survival in the late Middle Pleistocene human cranium from Maba, South China. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 108:19558-19562 |
| 14 | Wu X J, Maddux S D, Pan L et al., 2012. Nasal floor variation among eastern Eurasian Pleistocene Homo. Anthropol Sci, 12(3):217-226 |
| 15 | Wu X J, Xing S, Trinkaus E , 2013. An enlarged parietal foramen in the late archaic Xujiayao 11 neurocranium from northern China, and rare anomalies among Pleistocene Homo. PLoS ONE, 8(3):59587-59617 |
| 16 | Wu X J, Crevecoeur I, Liu W et al., 2014. Temporal labyrinths of eastern Eurasian Pleistocene humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 111:10509-10513 |
| 17 | Xing S, Martinón-Torres M, Castro J M B et al., 2014. Middle Pleistocene hominin teeth from Longtan Cave, Hexian, China. PLoS ONE, 9(12):114265-114303 |
| 18 | Xing S, Martinón-Torres M, Castro J M B et al., 2015. Hominin teeth from the early Late Pleistocene Site of Xujiayao, northern China. Am J Phys Anthropol, 156(2):224-240 |
| 19 | Yuan S X, Chen T M, Gao S J , 1986. Uranium series chronological sequence of some Paleolithic sites in South China. Acta Anthropol Sin, 5:179-190 |
| 20 | Zhang L Z, Zhao L X , 2013. Enamel thickness of Gigantopithecus blacki and its significance for dietary adaptation and phylogeny. Acta Anthropol Sin, 32:365-376 |
| 21 | Zhao W, Fu G T, Sun C L et al., 2011. Beam hardening correction for a cone-beam CT system and its effect on spatial resolution. Chinese Phys C, 35(10):978-985 |
| 22 | Zhu M, Yu X B, Lu J et al., 2012. Earliest known coelacanth skull extends the range of anatomically modern coelacanths to the Early Devonian. Nat Commun, 3:772 |
| 23 | Zhu M, Yu X B, Ahlberg P E et al., 2013. A Silurian placoderm with osteichthyan-like marginal jaw bones. Nature, 502:188-193 |
/
| 〈 |
|
〉 |