Micro-CT Imaging of Shark Teeth

Figure 1: 3D rendered interior cut view of a shark tooth (top) and megalodon tooth halve (bottom)

This comparison of a modern shark tooth compared to that of a fossilized megalodon (giant extinct shark) is my favorite project. It highlights how useful X-ray computed tomography can be for comparative biology and also offers key insights on how life on earth has formed and evolved. I especially liked this project as my eight-year-old son did the scanning in our lab. 

Benjamin Ache

Product Manager, Micro-CT

………………………………………

Micro-CT of a Stained Mouse Heart

Figure 2: Showing orientation of myocytes to understand the contraction in a mouse heart (left). As the myocytes contract the heart also twists, which causes constriction and pumping of the blood through the heart (right). Sample courtesy of Dr. Steven Phillips, Temple University.

I have several favorites from the Image of the Month, but having to pick one I chose scans of mouse hearts. We have been working with Dr. Steven Phillips for close to 20 years imaging hearts and small sections of hearts, showing the root structure and how that gets replicated from individual cells, to cell bundles and up to the large features of the heart. Dr. Phillips brings so much enthusiasm and energy during his visits; the great thing is that we learn 10x more from him than he could ever learn from us.

Tim Sledz
President, Micro Photonics

……………………………………..

Micro-CT of Aseptic Packaging Closure

Figure 3: Micro-CT examination of an aseptic multilayer flexible package.

The imaging of aseptic packaging closures is my favorite featured project during my tenure at Micro Photonics. The ability to non-destructively examine both open and closed states of this multi-featured closure assembly in food packaging really illustrated the versatility of our SkyScan instruments for the examination of consumer product packaging video.

Seth Hogg, Ph.D.

Laboratory Manager

…………………………………

Micro-CT Examination of Sardines Packed in Oil

Figure 4: View through the packaging to see the sardines within.

So many to choose from. I actually have so many favorites – the rose, the hot dog, the Christmas stocking — just to name a few of the more fun items we did. However, since I have to pick one, I am picking the sardines packed in oil. Why? Because I think it is so cool that you can see everything right through the packaging. You can see not just the sardines but even the tiny bones in this video.

Sumita Chandiramani

Office Manager

…………………………………….

Micro-CT of Apple Watch S1

Figure 5: Using micro-CT to see inside an example of wearable technology, the Apple watch.

Technology has enabled so much convenience in my lifetime. When I was a kid, Dick Tracy, a detective in the comics, had a two-way wrist radio.  Now the Apple Watch is that device! Ten to fifteen years ago we had computers for email, digital cameras for photography, GPS systems for the car, and a flip phone for cellular calls. Now, one device provides all of those functions and it fits in your pocket. The Apple watch is starting us on the next wave of miniaturization. (View the video here.)

George Ferrio

CEO, Micro Photonics

…………………………………….

Virtual Segmentation of a Mouse Mandible

Figure 6: Mouse mandible showing tooth segmentation.

Who wouldn’t want to see an historical relic inside a closed container, or a fossil within a rock matrix? This segmentation demonstrates the virtuosity of micro-CT scanning and the complex functions and analyses that can be done non-destructively. I always loved the images created by this virtual segmentation of a mouse mandible from its jawbone, where the jawbone and tooth were kept intact through the scan. This is well-illustrated in this video.

Ann Bagnell

Marketing

…………………………………………

Cicada ~ Analysis of Its Anatomy

Figure 7: Micro-CT scan of a female cicada.

I really enjoyed cicadas as a kid… the sound of August and hanging molted shells on my parent’s screen door. I am proud of this image of a cicada because of how difficult it was to capture the veins in the wings. Experimenting with the power settings and filters paid off nicely, and I learned a lot about improving my image quality while scanning instead of during reconstruction. The video provides an excellent view of the cicada.

Branden Klingensmith

Service Manager, Micro-CT

……………………………………………

Micro-CT of a D-Cell Battery

Figure 8: Anatomy of a D-cell battery from a micro-CT scan.

In training users on the SkyScan 1275 micro-CT, it’s been really fun to see how many applications can be scanned on this small desktop system. Most desktop scanners, even at 100kV, are unable to have X-ray transmission through a D-cell battery. But then came the SkyScan 1275 with its novel thick scintillation X-ray flat panel detector. At 100kV, the 1275 has the ability to image much larger and denser items because of the detector’s efficiency in converting X-rays to visible light. In this relatively artifact-free image we can see the large amount of anode metal that makes D-cell batteries so heavy!

Rajaram Manoharan

Senior Applications Engineer

………………………………………………..

MicroCT Scan of an MLB Official Baseball

Figure 9: Micro-CT scan of a baseball, showing the inner core.       

Baseball. Summertime is not the same without the MLB. With all the kids out of school it is the perfect time to learn about the science behind the baseball. From our micro-CT scan you can see the inner windings of the baseball with the different types of yarns used in the wrapping and the inner core of rubber. This video shows the internal materials and density changes in the layers of a baseball.

Ian Spradlin

Product Manager / Service Coordinator

……………………………………………..

We hope you enjoyed these selected images. If you’d like to view our Image of the Month Collection, please visit https://www.microphotonics.com/category/image-of-the-month/.

For any questions about the scanning processes behind these images, please feel free to contact Seth Hogg, Laboratory Manager: seth.hogg@microphotonics.com.