Xray by ESRF shows 3D rendering of fossilized Australopithecus sediba cranium embedded in limestone.
A series of reports published this monthin Science regarding a new member of the human lineage, Australopithecus sediba reveals new evidence about the evolution of the human brain. Researchers produced these results using a high-resolution, powerful xray called a synchrotron microtomography scanner. This new technology shows that the Australopithecus sediba cranium is not consistent with a widely accepted model of gradual brain enlargement in our lineage.
The new studies, performed by an international team of over 80 scientists led by Prof. Lee Berger of Witswatersrand University, also show that high technology continues to keep raising the science visualization bar. These new micro-tomography x-rays outshine even the most detailed CT scanned images.
The cranium of Australopithecus sediba was scanned at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France at a resolution (3-D pixel size) of around 45 microns (.045 mm) and was able to produce incredible detail despite thick mineralizations in the brain cavity.
At this time, the high cost of synchrotron scans makes it impossible for many other fossils to be scanned this way, but because of the incredible amount of detailed information this approach provides, it is likely that visualizations of this sort will become the new standard for fossils of human ancestors.
—Chris Sloan with Justine Benanty
CT-scan (left) vs. synchrotron xray (right) of the same fossil. Inset shows how much more detail is included in the ESRF synchrotron image of a tooth and a cavity embedded in the cranium.
