Mistti M. (Ridder) Myers
Project Topic / Abstract:
"Computer-Enhanced, Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Petrified Plants"
Plants can be fossilized in several ways. An important yet
infrequent, method of preservation is permineralization, in
which individual cells of the plant are preserved. Due to
the nature of this fossil type, only thin sections (80 um
thick) of the petrified plant under investigation can be
removed from a rock using the cellulose acetate peel
technique. To observe the fossil in its entirety, individual
sectiosn can be three-dimensionally reconstructed by
serially digitizing them into a microcomputer. Once
digitized, the serial sections are automatically aligned
creating a graphic reconstruction of the fossil. The image
can be viewed at multiple rotational angles, and any
component of the reconstruction can be emphasized or
de-emphasized. The computer-generated image can be
photographed for presentation and/or publication, videotaped
in a movie-like mode, or incorporated into a word-processed
document as an illustration. reconstructions of a 45
million-year old flower from the Middle Eocene of British
Columbia, Canada will be demonstated.
Presentations:
1993 Truman Undergraduate Research
Symposium (Kirksville, MO)
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