Posts Tagged ‘Archaeopteryx lithographica’
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In the fossil of an ancient squid, X-rays generated by the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource trigger chemical traces of the animal’s body left behind in the limestone; at right, the tentacles are clearly visible. The same technology is being used to learn more about Archaeopteryx, the famous bird-dinosaur hybrid found in Germany about 150 years ago. (Credit: SLAC)
STANFORD (US)—High-powered X-rays of the famous “dinobird” fossil could reveal unseen details about the evolutionary hybrid that died some 150 million years ago. Generated by the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) in California, the X-rays cause chemical elements to glow, exposing the ghost of soft tissue or feathers.
In addition to offering a new view of a long-extinct animal, this work may also reveal more about fossilization itself and how ancient organisms evolved. Continue…
