This innovative device allows South American paleontologists to share fossils with the world
PaleoScan operates at Plácido Cidade Nuvens Museum of Paleontology (known by the Portuguese abbreviation MPPCN) in Brazil. For a typical procedure, multiple fossils are placed together on the calibration board to be scanned simultaneously.
Institute Professor Cláudio Silva, Co-Director of the Visualization Imaging and Data Analysis Center (VIDA) Center, developed PaleoScan, an innovative scanner to digitize fossils at the Plácido Cidade Nuvens Museum of Paleontology in Brazil. Inspired by a rare pterosaur discovery near his hometown, Silva created a portable, affordable device that can quickly capture high-resolution images of fossils. PaleoScan aims to make fossil data from resource-poor museums in the global south accessible to scientists worldwide, potentially reducing fossil trafficking. Silva's invention could greatly impact paleontology in South America and other regions rich in fossils but lacking advanced technological resources.
