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Abstract
Computer-aided visualization and analysis of fossils has revolutionized the study of extinct organisms. Novel techniques allow fossils to be characterized in three dimensions and in unprecedented detail. This has enabled paleontologists to gain important insights into their anatomy, development, and preservation. New protocols allow more objective reconstructions of fossil organisms, including soft tissues, from incomplete remains. The resulting digital reconstructions can be used in functional analyses, rigorously testing long-standing hypotheses regarding the paleobiology of extinct organisms. These approaches are transforming our understanding of long-studied fossil groups, and of the narratives of organismal and ecological evolution that have been built upon them.Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000096966Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
Trends in Ecology & EvolutionVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
Cell PressSubject
Paleontology; Digital visualization; Computed tomography; Functional analysis; Computer modeling