Today, the three-dimensional visualization and analysis of biological samples using computer tomography (CT) is a routine procedure. However, in the past, it was very difficult to visualize the fine surface details of many organisms. Scientists at the Universities of Cologne and Bonn and the Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig—Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity in Bonn have now developed a new method to digitally capture and display even the finest surface structures. To achieve this, they coated the samples with a thin layer of gold, a technique that has previously only been used in scanning electron microscopy. Besides the implementation in biological sciences, the new method also holds promise for more practical areas of application such as material sciences or quality control in manufacturing companies. The research results have now been published in the Journal of Anatomy.
* This article was originally published here
