Volume Rendering of 7515 B.C.E. Human Skeleton

Abstract

In 2008, close to two hundred ancient human burials were discovered on the edges of a paleolake in the Sahara Desert by paleontologist Dr. Paul Sereno (University of Chicago). Several skeletons, including this Early Holocene male, were recovered in their intact burial postures. My research involves creating an animated three-dimensional model of this skeleton, digitally unbinding it from the burial position, and then measuring its standing height. To create this image, two-dimensional CT scans of the fossil were imported into Osirix Imaging Software. This program assembles the images into a three-dimensional model which can be viewed in all dimensions. This form of fossil investigation an efficient tool because it causes no physical change/damage to a fossil, and it reveals anatomical information that would otherwise be unattainable. This valuable information is the basis of our human pre-history, and therefore its accuracy is of great importance.