Application of synchrotron X-ray microtomography in paleontology for nondestructive 3-D imaging of fossil specimens

X-ray imaging has been employed in paleontology for more than 100 years, and has made great contributions to the nondestructive studies of paleontological fossil specimens. With the development of X-ray technology, a new type of nondestructive imaging, synchrotron X-ray microtomography, has been applied to this field in recent years. This is a special kind of micro-computer tomography based on hard X-rays from synchrotron radiation, which is characterized by high brilliance, high transverse spatial coherence and a high degree of uni-directionality. Nondestructive 3-D imaging with submicron resolution of fossils is now possible, opening up new possibilities for paleontology. This paper reviews recent developments and future prospects of the application of phase-contrast-enhanced synchrotron X-ray microtomography in paleontology.