The Cambridge Biotomography Centre, based here in the Department of Zoology, is a leading UK facility for high-resolution 3D imaging using micro-computed tomography (MicroCT) and X-ray tomography. The Centre's scanners allow researchers and industry clients to see internal structures without destroying the objects examined, which include fossils, biological specimens, archaeological artefacts, and engineered components.
Managing operator, MicroCT specialist Keturah Smithson offers guidance in scan setup, image reconstruction, data interpretation, and quantitative analysis, ensuring that each project achieves the highest possible imaging quality and analytical precision.
The Centre supports a broad range of projects, from university research in biology, palaeontology, and materials science, to heritage conservation, product inspection and industrial research and development. We’ve compiled three case studies below, to showcase its use in academic research.
Find out more about using the CBC for high-resolution imaging.
Jurassic fossil juvenile reveals prolonged life history in early mammals
Panciroli, E., Benson, R.B.J., Fernandez, V. et al.Nature632, 815–822 (2024).
In this landmark study of a Middle Jurassic mammaliaform, CBC’s high-resolution micro-CT scanning enabled imaging of delicate internal structures—especially tooth cementum increments and juvenile vs adult anatomy—that are otherwise impossible to study non-destructively. By making these scans available in full fidelity and non‐proprietary formats, CBC empowered the authors to quantify growth, estimate lifespan, and draw new conclusions about life history in early mammals. CBC’s role therefore was pivotal in turning fossils into high-resolution digital data for breakthrough research.
Cretaceous ornithurine supports a neognathous crown bird ancestor.
Benito, J., Kuo, PC., Widrig, K.E. et al.Nature612, 100–105 (2022).
In this evolutionary-biology study tracing the origin of the vertebrate shoulder girdle, the CBC’s micro-CT services provided the fine-scale internal imaging that made it possible to identify previously hidden anatomical features in jawed vertebrate fossils. By delivering high-resolution volumetric data and enabling segmentation of subtle skeletal structures, CBC made a key contribution to resolving one of the major transitions in vertebrate anatomy. The centre thus served as a critical platform for generating the digital anatomical evidence driving the discovery.
Cretaceous ornithurine supports a neognathous crown bird ancestor.
Benito, J., Kuo, PC., Widrig, K.E. et al.Nature612, 100–105 (2022).
For this major contribution to avian evolution, CBC’s MicroCT facility allowed researchers to probe the internal skeletal anatomy of a fossil bird embedded in rock matrix—revealing a key bone (the pterygoid) and internal morphology without destructive preparation. The capability to generate full 3D image stacks and export data for segmentation and analysis meant CBC enabled the team to visualise and compare anatomical details at micrometre resolution, strengthening the link between fossil and modern birds. The facility provided the essential imaging backbone for the anatomical discovery.
Image: produced using scans made at the CBC for this paper: Panciroli, E., Benson, R.B.J., Fernandez, V. et al. Jurassic fossil juvenile reveals prolonged life history in early mammals. Nature632, 815–822 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07733-1