A Small Dinosaur Reconstructed Through New Technology 新科技重现小恐龙

Palaeontologists from Flinders University in Australian are using a micro-CT scanner and 3D printing to reconstruct a small dinosaur preserved as opal for more than 100 million years.

The researchers are using the latest technology to look inside lumps of white sandstone rock that contain the opal remains of a small dinosaur.

The dinosaur in question is a small， running herbivore from Lightning Ridge in New South Wales， which was saved for science back in 2019.

“Once we have reconstructed the scans into 3D virtual models， we can print them out with a 3D printer so we can see the bones still hidden inside the rock，” said lead researcher Paul Willis.

澳大利亚弗林德斯大学的古生物学家们正在使用微型CT扫描仪和3D打印技术重现一种作为蛋白石保存了1亿多年的小恐龙。

研究人员正在使用最新的技术来观察白色砂岩块内部，这些岩块内的蛋白石有小恐龙残骸。

这只恐龙是一种小型的奔跑食草龙，来自新南威尔士州的莱宁山脊，早在2019年就被保存下来供科学研究使用。

该研究的首席研究员保罗·威利斯说：“一旦我们将扫描结果重建成3D虚拟模型，我们就可以用3D打印机打印出来，这样我们就可以看到仍然隐藏在岩块中的骨骼。”

Willis said all fossil specimens were “priceless” to palaeontologists and using the latest technology would help improve performance of understanding the ancient animals story.

Willis said scans of some of the pieces showed the bone inside was preserved in exquisite detail.

“Not only do the scans allow us to better understand exactly what we have as a dinosaur skeleton， they will be an invaluable aid to the next stage of studying this specimen，” he said.

“Prior to using scans on specimens like this， the removal of surrounding rock was a very much difficult job.”

“Now we can do that with more confidence because we know where the rock stops and the bone starts.”

Only 20 per cent of the specimens have been scanned so far. Once complete， a detailed study of the skeleton， assisted by the scan data， will reveal if this is a new species of dinosaur， as well as details about how it lived and died.

威利斯說，所有的化石标本对古生物学家来说都是“无价的”，使用最新的技术将有助于更高效地了解古生物的故事。

威利斯说，对一些岩块进行的扫描显示，里面的骨头保存得相当完好。

他说：“这些扫描结果不仅让我们更好地了解恐龙骨骼的确切情况，还将为下一阶段研究该标本提供宝贵的援助。”

“在对这类标本进行扫描前，移除周围的岩石是一项非常困难的工作。”

“现在我们可以更有信心地做这件事，因为我们知道哪里是岩石，哪里是骨头。”

到目前为止，只有20%的标本被扫描过。一旦完成，在扫描数据的协助下，对骨骼的详细研究将揭示这是不是一种新的恐龙物种，以及它是如何生存和死亡的细节。

Word Bank

opal /'??pl/ n. 蛋白石；猫眼石

specimen /'spes?m?n/ n. 样本；标本

exquisite /?k'skw?z?t/ adj. 精美的；精致的

The room was decorated in exquisite taste.