Research new fossils

Physicists have come up with a new method of studying paleontological sites, which allow to see the anatomical elements that the naked eye and the microscope can not see, so there will be new discoveries. New information from old specimens. The work is published in the journal Applied Physics A.

The method is based on the high energy X-ray exposure to fossils and fluorescence observations. Atoms will reflect with different wavelength photons, so that paleontologists can observe the arrangement of each detail on the surface of the object.

In addition to the methods used, the new method has the advantage that it does not destroy and does not alter the specimens as other methods, such as mass spectrometry.

Thanks to this new method, the authors successfully identified a fossil dating back over 50 million years that paleontologists previously thought was the skin that ancient lizards threw away during the peeling. their bodies, but actually the body of the lizard. This explains why in the head region they often spot phosphorus, as in the teeth.

Scientists say the new method is useful for analyzing traces in specimens that have been studied extensively. At the same time, the age of specimens can be investigated up to 160 million years.