What lies beneath the CAT scanner digital images?
Roberto Quevedo

robermay@bch.navegalia.com

What lies beneath the CAT Scanner Digital Images? A technical procedure for finding and locating a hidden embryo into a dinosaur egg. Private Research by Roberto Quevedo

A special methodology based on digital image processes used in Astronomy and Medicine, among other fields, can help us to distinguish information from where nothing seems to be.

After testing different tools, and thanks, among others, to the software and advice of Francisco Gómez (computer expert) and Dr. Rorden (Dept. of Neuro-Psychology of Nottingham University) I have introduced high sophisticated volume and digital graphic utilities for creating an innovative procedure which was applied to this research.

Impressive results were obtained after plenty work for finding the precise parameters and the concrete procedure for isolating bone compatible structures from a stone matrix of a dinosaur egg.
 

Squeleton digital X ray view of the dinosaur embryo discovered. This is an early development state
embryo.

High Resolution

The methodology found allows us to see incredible details. E.g. having in mind the head of the animal is 2.5 cm long only, here we can see how many organic details we can appreciate. And remember... the embryo is still surrounded by stone matrix, with this procedure we can make a virtual digging!! :

 
"Virtual Digging" ©

The impressive possibilities of a process I have named "Virtual Digging ©". Here we can see the bones arising from surrounding stone matrix. The head is up on the right. Bones are in white colour and stone matrix in red-brown. If you have stereo glasses (red-blue glasses) you could see the 3D effect... the bones arising from the stone matrix.

And below is the 13cm. dinosaur egg studied. It is an Faveoloolithus ningxiaensis Zhao And Ding, 1976. This is a very exciting photo as we can see a little eroding work made on the surface. The reason for this eroding work is to close the third cycle for this research, for demonstrating the effectiveness of the procedure. The suite of software used showed me this concrete surface zone of the egg as the place where some bones fragments were nearest to surface allocated. The eroding work result, showed in the photo, demonstrated that bones were where supposed to be.

So the procedure found is a very important tool for any fossil preparator or palaeontologist. Previous to any eroding work, we can know not only if the specimen is interesting to spend time on it, but we can know beforehand both biological information and how to work better in the fossil, avoiding to damage interesting zones or making special careful work in fragile zones.
 

Surprises

This research also gave some nice surprises. First, up to now no embryo has been discovered into this egg species so we could be seeing a new dinosaur species. Another important thing is that this procedure allows to identify the dinosaur group of the embryo thanks to impressive 3D views of the pubis of the animal, concretely we show the typical saurischia pubis.

Another relevant discovery related to this egg is about proteins. This is a non typical fossil as the embryo is at an early development state if we take the cranium size compared to the entire egg. When the eroding work was done in the bones zone, a very strong odour to burning hair came out from the zone (and filled all the room!!). This is very strange as it is relatively normal in recent fossil due to collagen presence, but this fossil has around 90 million years. A new research line is created related to these evidences.
 
 

News (*) about the discovery on media can be found at:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=roberto+quevedo+dinosaurio(from Google browser almost everything in spanish)

http://www.lapadania.com/2002/settembre/22/22092002p16a1.htm(Italian)

http://www.enel.it/it/enel/magazine/boiler/boiler106/html/articoli/bassoli-proteinadinosauri.asp (Italian)

http://www1.uol.com.br/folha/ciencia/ult306u7276.shtml (Brazilian - Portuguese)

http://www.solnet.com/27set02/tecnolog/tecnolo4.htm (Portuguese)

http://ctc.fmrp.usp.br/ctc/education/mostrareportagem.asp?Id=729 (Brazilian - Portuguese)

http://www.axiaonline.it/axiabiotech/rassegna_stampa/settembre_02/rassegna_stampa0922.htm (Italian)

 (*) As far as I know the news have been broadcast in Spain, German, Italy, Florida, India and all South America. In all press release Cambridge Symposium was cited.

Acknowledges.-

Jim Pether, Herpetologist. The happy owner of the egg.

Francisco Gómez, computer expert. For his kind patient long talks about digital images concepts and genial ideas.

Jose María Aymami, Toshiba Medical System. For his always collaborative disposition.

Chris Rorden , Dept. of Neuro-Psychology of Nottingham University.

And a long list of people and institutions