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| Titel |
Three-dimensional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of fossils across taxa |
| VerfasserIn |
D. Mietchen, M. Aberhan, B. Manz, O. Hampe, B. Mohr, C. Neumann, F. Volke |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| ISSN |
1726-4170
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| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Biogeosciences ; 5, no. 1 ; Nr. 5, no. 1 (2008-01-23), S.25-41 |
| Datensatznummer |
250002225
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/bg-5-25-2008.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| The frequency of life forms in the fossil record is largely determined
by the extent to which they were mineralised at the time of their death.
In addition to mineral structures, many fossils nonetheless
contain detectable amounts of residual water or organic molecules, the analysis of which has
become an integral part of current palaeontological research.
The methods available for this sort of investigations, though,
typically require dissolution or ionisation of the fossil sample
or parts thereof, which is an issue with rare taxa
and outstanding materials like pathological or type specimens.
In such cases, non-destructive techniques could
provide a valuable methodological alternative.
While Computed Tomography has long been used to study palaeontological specimens,
a number of complementary approaches have recently gained ground. These include
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) which had previously been employed to
obtain
three-dimensional images of pathological belemnites non-invasively on the
basis of intrinsic contrast.
The present study was undertaken to investigate whether 1H MRI
can likewise provide anatomical information about non-pathological
belemnites and specimens of other fossil
taxa. To this end, three-dimensional
MR image series were acquired from
intact non-pathological invertebrate, vertebrate and plant fossils.
At routine voxel
resolutions in the range of several dozens to some hundreds
of micrometers, these images reveal a host of
anatomical details and thus highlight the potential of MR techniques
to effectively complement existing methodological approaches for palaeontological
investigations in a wide range of taxa. As for the origin of the MR signal,
relaxation and diffusion measurements as well as
1H and 13C MR spectra acquired from a belemnite suggest
intracrystalline water or hydroxyl groups, rather than organic residues. |
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