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Amber research, amber immersed in water
Amber research. Glass tubes containing amber (fossilised resin from prehistoric coniferous plants) immersed in water. The samples will undergo X-ray imaging at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble, France. This particle accelerator can generate an X-ray beam one thousand billion times more powerful than a hospital X-ray. The water fills cracks on the sample surface that would normally cause image interference. X-rays are fired at multiple angles around the sample to generate virtual 'slices' that can reveal inclusions (remains of trapped insects or plants). These are reconstructed into 3D computer models that can be animated. In 2008 this technique has revealed over 350 extinct fossil animals and plants, such as wasps, flies, ants and spiders.
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