This project involved many people and took many years to complete at one point I thought
it would never end. My part was to X-ray CT scan the specimen. I then took the data of
the fossilized jaw and processed it and enhance the details inside. What was most
important was to view the teeth. The teeth roots were imbedded in fossilized jaw bone and one tooth was
still in the fossilized jaw and not visible externally. The processing was vital to view and discover
aspects of this specimen. The results were scientifically significant, enough for a
publication. My work on the project was enough to be coauthor in a publication. This
was my first major publication. I was very grateful that the author and the other project members
included me. Here is the abstract that was published
in
Nature. Below is one of over 1000
images produced digitally from this one specimen.
Alphadon's jaw, sectioned with high-resolution X-ray CT. The 17-mm (0.6693 inches) long mandible is from an individual only
70 days old at death. This fossil is from the Cretaceous which makes it about 80 million years old.