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Would it be possible (even just theoretically) to discover fossils like this non-destructively via some form of scanning? If we would have a huge chunk of stone
by krisoft 3y ago
Would it be possible (even just theoretically) to discover fossils like this non-destructively via some form of scanning? If we would have a huge chunk of stone on a table, could we somehow tell if there is any humanoid bones in it without cutting it up?
I suspect the very low contrast between the fossil and the surrounding rock would mean that either we need a very sensitive sensor, very long exposures or likely both.
- crote 3y agoI believe this can be done with CT scans - they are already applied to non-destructively learn more about known fossils. Routinely scanning random chunks of stone would be prohibitively expensive, of course.
- defrost 3y agoDepends really .. if the source quarry is pulling blocks and thin slicing them for tiles | counter tops then it's relatively easy (in the world of industrial mining) to photographically scan the top and bottom of every slice of stone after it's been cut to tile thickness. A number of quarries already automate the slicing and "inspect" surfaces for defects via computer vision. The trick is pattern recognition to catch things of interest so that if required the raw slices can be retrieved before they're shipped. It's destructive tomography .. with an option to digitally reconstruct a solid, or even to physically rejoin slices.
- MadnessASAP 3y agoObviously the solution is to CT scan the whole planet. Then it'll be easy to spot the fossils.
- perihelions 3y agoIndiana Jones and the Tomography of Doom
- throwway120385 3y agoFinally, after all these years, I have a use for all of my real-estate investments in subterranean cave systems.
- krisoft 3y agoWell :) if you would vote me to the emperor of everything (don’t recommend it, i have eccentric tendencies) I would dig up a mile by mile by mile of random cube somewhere and document it in excruciating detail. Kinda like a paleontological version of the Hubble Deep Field image. A very detailed and very good look at somewhere where otherwise we don’t expect to find anything particularly interesting.
- ClassyJacket 3y agoI'd love to see an /r/TheyDidTheMath on the energy required to CT scan the entire Earth all the way thru. I assume you'd have to vaporize the planet.
- flir 3y agoYou could do secants rather than diameters. Just image the surface layers. Although even just the 5km or so to the horizon sounds like a scary amount of energy. How about neutrino imaging? (I thought I was joking, but... https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-018-0319-1 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-018-0319-1)
- snakeyjake 3y agoCT scanners can visualize the interior of stone blocks to locate fossils for the purpose of extraction planning but obviously you're limited to the dimensions of the scanner. They're also used to image the inside of fossilized eggs. Ground penetrating radar can be used to visualize fossils but the conductivity of the material greatly impacts resolution (it's poor no matter what) and reach. Low-conductivity materials can be imaged up to tens of meters, high-conductivity materials you're lucky to get one meter. There are other methods for imaging that can penetrate further but I don't think they have the resolution to be useful (think: "there's an oil deposit down there" not "there's a body").