Sutton New Analytical Methods Rahman TECHNIQUES FOR Garwood in Earth and VIRTUAL PALAEONTOLOGY Environmental Science Virtual palaeontology, the use of interactive three-dimensional digital models as a supplement or alternative to physical specimens for scientific study and communication, is rapidly becoming important to advanced students and researchers. Using non-invasive techniques, the method allows the capture of large quantities of useful data without damaging the fossils being studied. Techniques for Virtual Palaeontology guides palaeontologists through the decisions involved in TECHNIQUES FOR designing a virtual palaeontology workflow and gives a comprehensive overview, providing discussions of underlying theory, applications, historical development, details of practical methodologies, and case studies. Techniques covered include physical-optical tomography (serial sectioning), focused ion beam tomography, all forms of X-ray CT, neutron tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, optical tomography, laser scanning, and photogrammetry. Visualization techniques and data/file formats are also discussed in detail. TECHNIQUES FOR Readership: All palaeontologists and students interested in three-dimensional visualization and analysis. VIRTUAL Mark Sutton is a Senior Lecturer at Imperial College, London, UK specializing in Palaeozoic invertebrate palaeobiology and in three- PALAEONTOLOGY dimensional visualization techniques. He is the primary author of the SPIERS software suite for palaeontological 3D reconstruction. VIRTUAL Imran Rahman is a Research Fellow at The University of Bristol, UK. He specializes in the origin and early evolution of echinoderms, and uses virtual palaeontology to study the form and function of fossil taxa. Russell Garwood is an 1851 Royal Commission Research Fellow based at The University of Manchester, UK. He uses X-ray techniques Mark Sutton to study fossils, primarily early terrestrial arthropods. He is the secondary author of the SPIERS software suite. PALAEONTOLOGY Imran Rahman Russell Garwood New Analytical Methods in Earth and Environmental Science Because of the plethora of analytical techniques now available, and the acceleration of technological advance, many earth scientists find it difficult to know where to turn for reliable information on the latest tools at their disposal, and may lack the expertise to assess the relative strengths or limitations of a particular technique. This new series will address these difficulties by providing accessible introductions to important new techniques, lab and field protocols, suggestions for data handling and interpretation, and useful case studies. The series represents an invaluable and trusted source of information for researchers, advanced students and applied earth scientists wishing to familiarise themselves with emerging techniques in their field. All titles in this series are available in a variety of full-colour, searchable e-book formats. Titles are also available in an enhanced e-book edition which may include additional features such as DOI linking, high resolution graphics and video. ISBN 978-1-118-59113-0 Visit www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell e-book Chapter No.: 1 Title Name: Lebohec Comp. by: AMagimaidass Date: 08 Oct 2013 Time: 06:42:18 AM Stage: Proof Page Number: i TECHNIQUES FOR VIRTUAL PALAEONTOLOGY Chapter No.: 1 Title Name: Lebohec Comp. by: AMagimaidass Date: 22 Nov 2013 Time: 10:13:51 AM Stage: Proof Page Number: i New Analytical Methods in Earth and Environmental Science A new e-book series from Wiley-Blackwell Because of the plethora of analytical techniques now available, and the acceleration of technological advance, many earth scientists find it difficult to know where to turn for reliable information on the latest tools at their disposal, and may lack the expertise to assess the relative strengths or potential limita- tions of a particular technique. This new series addresses these difficulties, and by virtue of its comprehensive and up-to-date coverage, provides a trusted resource for researchers, advanced students and applied earth scientists w ishing to familiarise themselves with emerging techniques in their field. Authors will be encouraged to reach out beyond their immediate speci- ality to the wider earth science community, and to regularly update their contributions in the light of new developments. Written by leading international figures, the volumes in the series will typically be 75–200 pages (30,000 to 60,000 words) in length – longer than a typical review article, but shorter than a normal book. Volumes in the series will deal with: ● the elucidation and evaluation of new analytical, numerical modelling, imaging or measurement tools/techniques that are expected to have, or are already having, a major impact on the subject; ● new applications of established techniques; ● interdisciplinary applications using novel combinations of techniques. All titles in this series are available in a variety of full-colour, searchable e-book formats. Titles are also available in an enhanced e-book edition which may include additional features such as DOI linking, high resolution graphics and video. Series Editors Kurt Konhauser, University of Alberta (biogeosciences) Simon Turner, Macquarie University (magmatic geochemistry) Arjun Heimsath, Arizona State University (earth-surface processes) Peter Ryan, Middlebury College (environmental/low T geochemistry) Mark Everett, Texas A&M (applied geophysics) Chapter No.: 1 Title Name: Lebohec Comp. by: AMagimaidass Date: 22 Nov 2013 Time: 10:13:51 AM Stage: Proof Page Number: ii TECHNIQUES FOR VIRTUAL PALAEONTOLOGY MARK D. SUTTON Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK I mran A. RAHMAN School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol, UK R USSELL J. Garwood School of Materials/School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK Chapter No.: 1 Title Name: Lebohec Comp. by: AMagimaidass Date: 22 Nov 2013 Time: 11:50:40 AM Stage: Proof Page Number: iii This edition first published 2014 © 2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd Registered Office John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK Editorial Offices 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030–5774, USA For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell. The right of the author to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author(s) have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services and neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sutton, M. D. (Mark D.), author. Techniques for virtual palaeontology / Mark D. Sutton, Imran A. Rahman, Russell J. Garwood. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-118-59113-0 (cloth) 1. Paleontological modeling. 2. Virtual reality in paleontology. 3. Paleontology–Data processing. I. Rahman, Imran A., author. II. Garwood, Russell J., author. III. Title. QE721.2.M63S88 2014 560.285–dc23 2013024697 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Cover image: “Ventral view of the horseshoe crab Dibasterium durgae Briggs et al. 2012, from the Silurian-aged Herefordshire Lagerstätte, England. Model reconstructed through physical-optical tomography, manual registration, virtual preparation, isosurfacing and ray-tracing, using software packages SPIERS and Blender.” Briggs, D.E.G., Siveter, Derek J., Siveter, David J., Sutton, M.D., Garwood, R.J, & Legg, D. 2012. Silurian horseshoe crab illuminates the evolution of arthropod limbs. P.N.A.S. 109, 15702–15705. Set in 10/12.5pt Minion by SPi Publisher Services, Pondicherry, India 1 2014 Chapter No.: 1 Title Name: Lebohec Comp. by: AMagimaidass Date: 22 Nov 2013 Time: 10:13:51 AM Stage: Proof Page Number: iv Contents Acknowledgements viii 1 Introduction