Computed tomography used in the study of prehistoric artefacts

Millions of years ago

When quality assurance staff wish to examine the interior of complex assemblies using non-destructive methods, X-ray-based computed tomography is frequently employed. Thanks to its high radiation energy, it is suitable even for very dense materials, whilst at the same time offering very high resolution. Reason enough to try out the technique on fossilised objects as well. With success, as a look beyond the usual horizons demonstrates.

What do you do if you are a scientist and want to analyse the bones of a lion's skull around the inner ear? One option: you take the skull of a dead lion, saw it open and look inside. But what if the skull to be analysed is millions of years old and also an irretrievable unique specimen? Sawing it up is probably out of the question.

A TomoScope® XS Plus with a new sub-microfocus tube is used for the highly accurate digitisation of the unique research objects, which was jointly funded by the Hessian Ministry of Science and the Arts (HMWK, as part of the ERDF) and the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung's own funds (including SOSA).

Phone	01332 289 664
Email	sales@werth-metrology.com