Synchrotron X-ray tomographic microscopy

Synchrotron X-ray tomographic microscopy is a 3-D scanning technique that allows non-invasive high definition scans of fossil embryos to be made. It brings out details as fine as 1,000th of a millimeter, meaning it has two to three thousand times the resolution of a medical CT scan. Scientists feel this technology has the potential to revolutionize the field of paleontology. The first team to use the technique have published their findings in Nature, which they believe "could roll back the evolutionary history of arthropods like insects and spiders."