| Dating | Approximately 66.4 million years old |
| Origin | Found in the U.S. state of Montana in 2013 |
| Client | Naturalis Biodiversity Center |
| System | High-energy CT |
| Technical Challenge | Capturing various materials with different absorption characteristics, from paper to iron |
| Objective | Precise X-ray data for creating a faithful replica |
In 2013, researchers from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, Netherlands, excavated one of the best-preserved T-Rex finds of all time in the U.S. state of Montana. The skull was scanned using tomography while still embedded in the sandstone matrix before conservation and preparation. The 3D data not only provided a precise image of the skull's anatomy but also revealed unexpected surprises such as hidden fractures, which could be reliably identified in advance and considered during preparation. Additionally, the X-ray data allows for the creation of true-to-original copies of the skeleton using 3D printing techniques.
Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS