Re: MRI and dino eggs, etc. Murdoch

[Ray McAllister <mcallist@gate.net>]

Neil, How about saturating the fossil eggs with water in a pressure 
chamber. If someone wants to try it, I am in Boca
Raton, FL, I cound put such an egg in our chamber and decompress it 
slowly, returning the egg double ziplocked to hold the saturation. We 
dont have an MRI on campus but I suspect a local MRI place might 
cooperate; however I would prefer someone with more knowledge of the 
technique to monitor it. 

Ray McAllister, Prof (Emeritus) Ocean Eng., FAU, Boca Raton, FL 33064
Diving Dinosaur, Geologist/Oceanographer/Ocean Engineer, 43 years SCUBA
mcallist@gate.net (305) 426-0808, Author Diving Locations, Boynton/Dania


On Fri, 10 Feb 1995, NEIL CLARK wrote:

> 
> > 
> > 
> > As I stated before, all of the techniques have not been successful at 
> > demonstrating EMBRYOS within eggs.  I am aware that the shell 
> shows up 
> > nicely in CT, X-ray, MRI, etc., but that was not the point I was 
> > discussing.  The calcite of the shell is usually the original shell, so 
> > has a different density than the surrounding and infilled matrix. This 
> > morning Karl Hirsh told me of yet another experiment of his using 
> CT of 
> > a fossil egg known to have bones (seen on the broken edge).  The 
> results 
> > were again negative.  The egg was small, about 5 cm wide, 1 cm 
> thick so 
> > there was no difficulty with penetration by the X-rays.
> > 
> > 
> 
> We have probable evidence for embryonic remains inside an egg 
> using CT-scanning.  The problem is that I am not allowed to use that 
> time honoured geological technique of 'hitting it with a hammer'.  :~-(
> 
> I am about to produce a 3-D image of the results and then write it up.  
> Some eggs are better for CT-scanning than others.  If there is too 
> much calcite cement inside the egg then you won't get a useful 
> image.  I have a turtle egg that has an embryo inside it, but I can't see 
> a thing because of the diagenetic/taphonomic mineralisation.
> 
> As for MR.....I have thought of saturating the egg with water.  This 
> woul provide an image of the porosity and hence perhaps.....the 
> embryonic remains???  Maybe someone has the facility to do this?  
> Please get on to some one with one of the red sediment enclosed 
> bun-shaped eggs and try it out.
> 
> Neil
> 
> 
> Neil Clark
> Curator of Palaeontology
> Hunterian Museum
> University of Glasgow
> email: NCLARK@museum.gla.ac.uk
> 
> Mountains are found in erogenous zones.
> (Geological Howlers - ed. WDI Rolfe)
>