Exploring Hominin and Non-hominin Primate Dental Fossil Remains with Neutron Microtomography

Clément Zanolli (1) , Burkhard Schillinger , Amélie Beaudet (1) , Ottmar Kullmer (2) , Roberto Macchiarelli (3) , Lucia Mancini (4) , Friedemann Schrenk , Claudio Tuniz (5) , Vladimira Vodopivec

1 AMIS - Anthropologie Moléculaire et Imagerie de Synthèse
2 Senckenberg Research Institute
3 Département Géosciences [Université de Poitiers]
4 Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste
5 UniFI - Università degli Studi di Firenze = University of Florence = Université de Florence

Fossil dental remains are an archive of unique information for paleobiological studies. Computed microtomography based on Xray microfocus sources (X-µCT) and Synchrotron Radiation (SR-µCT) allow subtle quantification at the micron and sub-micron scale of the meso-and microstructural signature imprinted in the mineralized tissues, such as enamel and dentine, through highresolution "virtual histology". Nonetheless, depending on the degree of alterations undergone during fossilization, X-ray analyses of tooth tissues do not always provide distinct imaging contrasts, thus preventing the extraction of essential morphological and anatomical details. We illustrate here by three examples the successful application of neutron microtomography (n-µCT) in cases where X-rays have previously failed to deliver contrasts between dental tissues of fossilized specimen.

Mots clés: Neutron Radiography; Neutron Imaging; Neutron Computed Tomography; CCD Camera; Paleontology

Domaines: Paléontologie; Méthodes et statistiques

Clément Zanolli, Burkhard Schillinger, Amélie Beaudet, Ottmar Kullmer, Roberto Macchiarelli, et al.. Exploring Hominin and Non-hominin Primate Dental Fossil Remains with Neutron Microtomography. Physics Procedia, 2017, 88, pp.109-115. ⟨10.1016/j.phpro.2017.06.014⟩. ⟨hal-02296653⟩