My first chapter is out! This was an enormously challenging project but I learned a lot and am very excited to share with you the hidden world of ultraviolet coloration in snakes.
nature.com/articles/s41467-0…
Adding to our herbarium scanning collection, we have a pinecone from a Martinez pinyon (Pinus maximartinezii). This large pinecone scanned in less than 15 minutes, allowing us to see all of the internal structures including the seeds!
Taking our CT lab in a new direction, scanning fungus! This ant has been infected by a species of cordyceps fungus (that’s same kind of fungus that creates zombies in the Last of Us!)
#fungifriday#ctscan#thelastofus#cordyceps@NIMactual
Who's getting excited about SSAR 2024? We can't wait to introduce you to this little buddy, which we 3D printed today as part of a new exhibit that you can see at the Welcome Reception! See you soon :)
3D mesh of a caecilian skull! If you’re not familiar with them, caecilians are a type of amphibian with a snake-like body form. They live underground and are often referred to as the sharks of the soil due to their large, sharp teeth!
sketchfab.com/3d-models/caec…
AI-generated animation of a twin-spotted rattlesnake (Crotalus pricei) from our skeletal and diceCT scans! Here you can see that scanning specimens as-is gives us a clear visual of the bone, while staining specimens in iodine (dice-staining) allows us to see soft tissue.
Welcome to the home of all things microCT at the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology! Kicking things off with this skeletal scan of a green frog (Lithobates clamitans) that has an unusual number of legs. This specimen was collected right here in Washtenaw county!