# Photon-Counting Detector CT Scan of Dinosaur Fossils: Initial Experience

## TL;DR

Photon-counting detector CT provides high-resolution, non-destructive imaging of dinosaur fossils, revealing internal structures and offering insights into their mineral composition.

## Contribution

This is the first study to apply PCD-CT to large dinosaur fossils, demonstrating its advantages over traditional CT methods.

## Key findings

- PCD-CT produced higher-resolution images of dinosaur fossils compared to EID-CT.
- PCD-CT clearly showed anatomical features like the Tyrannosaurus mandibular canal and Camarasaurus canals.
- PCD-CT provided spectral data useful for analyzing fossil mineral composition and preservation state.

## Abstract

Beyond clinical areas, photon-counting detector (PCD) CT is innovatively applied to study paleontological specimens. This study presents a preliminary investigation into the application of PCD-CT for imaging large dinosaur fossils, comparing it with standard energy-integrating detector (EID) CT. The left dentary of Tyrannosaurus and the skull of Camarasaurus were imaged using PCD-CT in ultra-high-resolution mode and EID-CT. The PCD-CT and EID-CT image quality of the dinosaurs were visually assessed. Compared with EID-CT, PCD-CT yielded higher-resolution anatomical images free of image deterioration, achieving a better definition of the Tyrannosaurus mandibular canal and the three semicircular canals of Camarasaurus. PCD-CT clearly depicts the internal structure and morphology of large dinosaur fossils without damaging them and also provides spectral information, thus allowing researchers to gain insights into fossil mineral composition and the preservation state in the future.