(February 21, 2012) Researchers
at Drexel University are bringing the latest technological advancements in 3-D
printing to the study of ancient life. Using scale models of real fossils, for
the first time, they will be able to test hypotheses about how dinosaurs and
other prehistoric animals moved and lived in their environments.
“Technology in paleontology
hasn't changed in about 150 years,” said Drexel paleontologist Dr. Kenneth
Lacovara, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences. “We use
shovels and pickaxes and burlap and plaster. It hasn't changed -- until right
now.”
3-D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY IN
PALEONTOLOGY
Lacovara has begun creating 3-D
scans of giant dinosaur bones and other fossils in his lab. The 3-D scan puts a
virtual image in a digital workspace that researchers can manipulate and
analyze. To bring these scans to life, Lacovara is also teaming up with
mechanical engineer Dr. James Tangorra, an assistant professor in Drexel’s
College of Engineering, to use 3-D printing technology to create and test scale
models of fossil bones.