A new technique allowing virtual dissections of half-billion year old fossil embryos is producing the first three-dimensional images of the dawn of life.
It reveals a universe of detail impossible using previous methods, and researchers at Bristol University in southwestern England said it was pushing back the frontiers of science much as the scanning electron microscope did half a century ago.
"We are looking at the dawn of life," lead researcher Phil Donoghue told Reuters. "Because of their tiny size and precarious preservation, embryos are the rarest of all fossils."
Should be applicable to other remains, ya? Mummies? Though maybe an entire body is too big to scan in this much detail. Actually, I'm having some difficulty coming up with what you could use it on. Pots? No, unless they're sealed and you want to know what's in them. Hmmm.