Computer Graphics World

July 2009 38 ■ ■ ■ ■ Digital Imaging and more about the fossilization process and what it takes to make a fossil, thanks to these technologies. ey give us a better understanding about ancient life and how much it has changed, and how little it has changed." X-ray Vision rough scanning and RP, the crew was able to obtain a detailed look at Leonardo from the outside. However, they were es- pecially interested in what an internal examination would reveal. While a CT scan would have provided a three-dimen- sional view, no machines were available at the time to handle a patient of this size. A CT scanner at Hill Air Force Base in Utah was a possible option, but the fragile fossil would have had to have been situated at an odd angle for the process. Andersen spoke to colleagues he worked with on industrial projects, and eventu- ally another option was unearthed: a CR (Computed Radiography) system from Kodak, which produces X-ray images us- ing a special plate and source that can be scanned into a computer and modifi ed for optimal viewing. Prior to joining the science team as they conducted their two-week digital autopsy in Malta, Steve Mango, a technical expert on Carestream Health's (formerly Kodak's) Non-Destructive Testing team, fi rst tried out the technology in the Kodak lab in Rochester, New York, using a small piece of Leonardo that had broken off from the main fossil. "We could see some of the types of things they were looking for. We could diff erentiate the bone from the surround- ing matrix, and although it didn't look like much to me, when I sent the group the sample images, they were very excited and asked if I would come to Malta," says Mango. And he did, taking a portable CR system with him. Mango's task, which he shared with his colleague, Steve Mazur (now deceased), and the NDT Group from Grand Rapids, Mich- igan, was to X-ray Leonardo to see what, if anything, was inside the fossil, to fi nd out how the bones were articulated, and, most importantly, to determine whether or not they could fi nd any remnants of internal or- gans. "Between all of us, we were able to pull a lot of good shots and get good sensitivity and nice quality images that really wowed the scientifi c team," says Mango. CR utilizes the same X-ray but more powerful gamma sources (Iridium-192 and, eventually, Cobalt-60) as conventional radi- ography. In essence, the more powerful the source, the deeper the X-ray penetration. However, unlike a typical X-ray, it has a re- usable plate instead of fi lm to retain a latent image. A reader then uses a red laser to scan the image, which causes it to luminesce in blue light wherever the stored X-ray energy is in direct proportion to the amount of stored energy. "Basically, you get a higher To properly interpret the X-ray images, the team assembled them in their recorded positions (right) creating a mosaic. The image at left contains labels showing the various regions. Bone of Contention When Nate Murphy found Leonardo, he unearthed the fi nd of his lifetime. Unfor- tunately, the dinosaur no longer belongs to him, but is the joint property of the Judith River Dinosaur Institute, which he founded in 1993 but is no longer as- sociated with, and the Hammond family, whose land the fossil was found on. This past May, Murphy was sentenced to 60 days in jail and was issued a monetary fi ne for stealing a raptor fossil from private land in the Malta area. This month, he is expected to be sentenced on a federal charge also involving the theft of fossils from federal land. He pled guilty to both charges, and signed over his portion of Leonardo to the Institute. For some time, Leonardo had been exhibited at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, but is being shipped back to Malta to a new museum there.

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