Find out what's inside a real fossilized dinosaur egg! ERHAS Ep. 76 w/ Jessie Maisano
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of 'Every Rock Has a Story,' Amy and Ethan explore the mystery of a rock that appears to be a dinosaur egg. With the help of paleontologist Jesse Misano and CT scanning technology at the University of Texas, they uncover that it is indeed a real fossilized egg. However, the contents inside, whether a baby dinosaur or not, did not survive the fossilization process. The episode highlights the use of advanced technology in paleontology and the excitement of scientific discovery, ending with the possibility of 3D printing a replica of the egg for educational purposes.
Takeaways
- 🐣 The rock in question is identified as a real dinosaur egg, a gift to Boston College.
- 🔍 Different layers and colors on the eggshell indicate various minerals that replaced the original material during fossilization.
- 🤔 The curiosity about what's inside the egg is a common question, with possibilities ranging from a baby dinosaur to an empty space.
- 🧑🔬 A paleontologist's expertise is sought to non-destructively explore the contents of the egg using CT scanning technology.
- 🏫 Jesse Misano, the lab manager at the University of Texas, explains the CT scanning process which uses X-rays to create detailed images of the egg's interior.
- 🔬 The lab has scanned a variety of specimens, including fossils and even Apollo moon rocks, showcasing the versatility of the technology.
- 📈 The CT scan reveals that the egg is indeed a real fossilized egg, with the original eggshell crushed and buried inside due to sediment pressure.
- 🦴 Unfortunately, the scan shows that whatever was inside the egg did not survive the fossilization process, leaving no trace of an embryo.
- 📊 The grayscale CT data provides a detailed view of the egg's interior, with different shades indicating varying densities within the sample.
- 🖨️ The digitized data from the CT scan can be used to create a 3D printed replica of the egg, aiding in educational outreach and preserving the original specimen.
Q & A
What is the main subject of the video episode?
-The main subject of the video episode is the exploration of whether a particular rock is a real dinosaur egg and what's inside it.
What are the different observations made about the rock's appearance?
-The rock has different layers and colors, with some parts looking like cement and others appearing red. It also appears to be eroded and cracked.
Why is the rock considered special at Boston College?
-The rock is considered special because it is believed to be a real dinosaur egg, which makes it one of the most unique specimens in their collection.
What method is used to determine the contents of the egg without damaging it?
-A CT scan is used to non-destructively determine the contents of the egg by taking a series of X-ray images as the specimen rotates.
Who is Jesse Misano and what is her role in the video?
-Jesse Misano is the lab manager at the CT scanning facility at the University of Texas in Austin. She helps to perform the CT scan on the dinosaur egg.
What is the significance of the different grayscales in the CT scan data?
-The different grayscales in the CT scan data represent different densities within the sample, with lighter gray scales indicating denser materials.
What was the outcome of the CT scan regarding the contents of the egg?
-The CT scan revealed that the egg is indeed a real fossilized egg with eggshell fragments inside, but whatever was inside did not survive the fossilization process.
What additional information can be obtained from the digitized CT data?
-Once digitized, the CT data can be used to create a 3D rendering of the egg and even 3D print a replica in various materials.
What is the educational value of 3D printing a replica of the dinosaur egg?
-3D printing a replica of the dinosaur egg allows for educational outreach, enabling people who wouldn't otherwise encounter such specimens to study and learn from them.
What is the overall message of the video episode regarding scientific discovery?
-The video episode emphasizes the excitement and mystery of scientific discovery, highlighting how modern technology can reveal secrets from the past and enhance our understanding of history.
Outlines
🐣 Unveiling the Mystery of a Dinosaur Egg
The video script introduces a rock that is speculated to be a real dinosaur egg. The host, Amy, examines the rock's features, noting the different layers and colors, and wonders about its age and composition. Ethan, a geologist, reveals that the rock is indeed a dinosaur egg, a gift to Boston College, and discusses the fossilization process. The team decides to use a CT scan to explore the egg's contents without damaging it, aiming to answer whether there's a baby dinosaur inside. They meet Jesse, a lab manager at the University of Texas, who will help them with the CT scan.
🔬 CT Scan Reveals the Secrets Inside the Dinosaur Egg
The script details the process of preparing the dinosaur egg for a CT scan at the University of Texas. Jesse explains the scanning process, which involves using X-rays to create a series of digital slices through the egg. The team is excited to see if there's a baby dinosaur inside. Despite the egg's density making the scan challenging, they proceed with the scan. The next day, they review the data, which shows the eggshell and the matrix inside. Unfortunately, it appears that whatever was inside did not survive the fossilization process, as the contents are too fragmented. However, Jesse demonstrates a 3D visualization of the egg and mentions the possibility of 3D printing the egg from the CT data, highlighting the educational potential of such technology.
📚 Reflecting on the Dinosaur Egg Discovery
In the final part of the script, Amy reflects on the experience of learning about the dinosaur egg. She expresses disappointment that there wasn't a baby dinosaur inside but is still fascinated by the fact that it's a real dinosaur egg. The script concludes with a discussion about the high-tech nature of the CT scan and the possibility of 3D printing the egg, which Amy finds exciting. The host thanks Jesse for the laboratory visit and Amy for her observations, emphasizing the excitement of scientific discovery. The script ends with a teaser for the next episode and a farewell note, promising more exploration of the past through modern technology.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Dinosaur egg
💡Fossilization
💡Eggshell
💡CT scanning
💡Paleontologist
💡Embryo
💡3D printing
💡Geosciences
💡Non-destructive testing
💡Sedimentary rock
Highlights
Introduction of a mysterious rock that might be a dinosaur egg.
Observation of the rock's different layers and colors suggesting various types of rock and possible erosion.
Discussion about the age of the rock and its significance.
Revelation that the rock is a real dinosaur egg from episode 54.
Explanation of the rock's layers as the eggshell and the different minerals from the fossilization process.
Introduction to Jesse, the lab manager at the CT scanning facility at the University of Texas.
Description of the CT scanning process to non-destructively examine the inside of the egg.
Jesse's personal journey from fashion to geology and her passion for paleontology.
Showcasing the variety of items scanned at the facility, including violins and Apollo moonrocks.
Preparation of the dinosaur egg for scanning within the CT scanner.
The start of the CT scan to determine the contents of the egg.
Discussion on the density of the egg and the challenges it presents for scanning.
Revealing that the egg is a real fossilized egg with no preserved embryo inside.
Introduction of 3D visualization and the possibility of digitally cutting into the scanned image.
Mention of 3D printing technology to create replicas of the egg from the CT data.
Amy's reaction to the discovery and her interest in potentially 3D printing the egg.
Reflection on the scientific discovery process and the excitement of unveiling the past.
Transcripts
what if I told you that this was a real
dinosaur egg want to know what's inside
well in this episode we're gonna find
out welcome to every Rock has a
[Music]
story hi I'm Amy and this is the rock of
the deck so it looks like there's cement
on the front it's also kind of black
here and here but then if you flip it to
the other side it's like all red so I
wonder what different like types of rock
and if there are any different types of
rock on this it looks kind of like
eroded there are a bunch of different
layers and it's been cracked so I wonder
how old it is hey Ethan can you tell me
more about this rock thank you Amy for
introducing this rock to all of us Amy
notice some pretty important things the
different layers on the outside of the
Rock in the different colors and then
right in the middle it kind of looks
like it's covered or maybe filled with
something that looks like cement well
it's not cement or at least I hope it's
not you've seen this sample before
remember episode 54 this magical sample
was given to Boston College as a gift
and it instantly became one of the most
special rocks that we have in our
collection that's because this is a real
dinosaur egg look how round it is and
those layers that Amy noticed on the
outside are the eggshell and the colors
represent the different minerals that
replaced the original eggshell during
the fossilization process now every time
I tell somebody that this is a dinosaur
egg I get the same question everybody
wants to know what's inside is there a
baby dinosaur is there nothing at all or
maybe it's not a real egg after all I
want to know that too but I don't want
to crack it open and ruin it at the same
time now I have a paleontologist friend
and she has a way to solve the mystery
of what's really inside this remarkable
object come with me and let's find
out hey Jesse Ethan so nice to meet you
nice to meet you too thanks for having
us everybody I'm with Jesse misano Jesse
is the lab manager at the CT scanning
facility here at the University of Texas
in Austin Texas and Jesse we brought
this unusual object yeah take a look
we're pretty sure it's a dinosaur egg
and every time I show this to somebody
they all had the same question they want
to know what's inside is there maybe a
baby dinosaur in there and you can help
us answer that question right yes we can
how do you do it so we use X-rays and
rotation to take a series of radioraps
through the specimen so we'll be able to
tell you if there's a baby dinosaur in
this egg all right we can do this right
now today absolutely all right let's get
started all
right so Jesse tell me uh how did you
get interested in paleontology and
scanning fossils to begin with what got
you into the geosciences okay well like
every child in the universe I love
dinosaurs it always starts with the
Dinosaurs always starts with the
dinosaurs and those of us who became
paleontologists as adults simply never
outgrew that love I guess so so I
actually started college in a very
different major fashion really and my
senior year I realized I was kind of
bored then I decided to just go for it
and follow my heart so I changed my
major to geology okay and never looked
back
okay so Ethan welcome to
utct this is where the magic happens
we've been doing this for 26 years we
scan everything and anything that a
researcher wants to look inside of
non-destructively so Lucy was here for
two weeks back in 2008 wow we've scanned
half a dozen Stratovarius
violins and we've scanned a bunch of
Apollo moonrock so worldclass specimens
come through our door and hopefully this
is another one of them so wow so not
just fossils you scan all kinds of
things here scan all kinds of things wow
that's so cool so for your scan Matt
Colbert who is right here let me
introduce you he will be doing your
scan okay so what happens here okay so
here's where we Mount the specimen for
scanning so you're kind of going to make
like a new little nest for our dinosaur
EG nice and happy and staying
still and here's our CT scanner in here
in this large cabinet W this is huge
yeah this is about 30,000 lb of lead and
steel this cabinet wow all designed to
keep the x-rays inside so we stay safe
outside yeah I guess so oh this is it
all right so here's a turntable I'm
putting the egg on it x-rays are going
to be coming out of a little window here
and being picked up recorded on this
detector bank here and while the object
spins
360° And We Gather x-rays oh my goodness
so you guys we're about to find out
right now if there's actually something
inside that egg are we ready to go we
are ready to go let's do
this
so so there's the egg there's the egg
unfortunately it's is such a dense
object that we don't really have as much
um flexibility as we normally would yeah
but um we'll give it the old College try
here good we're at a university after
all that's
right are you surprised how dense It is
Well I got worried we've scanned some
Dinosaur Before uh a long time ago and
we had to use high energy so this is
going to be a long scan but it's going
to go into night and um and so tomorrow
we'll come back
and hope for baby dinosaur hope for a
baby
dinosaur hey Jesse good morning good
morning how are you well I'm great so
egg is out of the scanner yes and you're
going to show us what you found so the
data is a series of slices digital
slices through the egg going from the
top of the egg to the bottom so kind of
we'll be sort of looking at it like that
through yes exactly got it exactly so
that's what we have loaded up here so
I'm just going to proceed slowly through
the slices so to orient you what CT data
mean they're always grayscale and the
different grayscales correspond to
different densities within the sample so
density density so the lighter gray
scales are the denser materials so
that's the eggshell we're looking at
right here that's the actual eggshell
the eggshell oh my gosh on the outside
all right yeah and then this is the
Matrix that is filling the egg okay so
I'm going to proceed
further that's more eggshell that's been
pushed down inside so the good news is
this does appear to be a real fossilized
egg I keep believe it so this this is a
real this is a real egg yes it is
definitely a real fossilized egg and
that's because it's got the eggshell
buried down inside I'm going to go a
little bit further that's all eggshell
frag buried inside oh my gosh so
probably when it was fossilized pressure
from sediments burying the egg crushed
it pushed these fragments of eggshell
down inside okay so that's what we're
seeing there and we're continuing
through
and
unfortunately that's all there is
getting towards the very very back
looking for like a little dinosaur
skeleton sorry so the good news is it's
a real fossilized egg the bad news is
whatever was inside does not appear to
have survived the fossilization process
because it's so fragmented there is a
slim chance that whatever was inside
hatched and went on not here anymore the
majority of fossilized eggs that are
found don't contain an embryo so it's
unusual for there to be an embryo
preserved inside wow Jesse this is
absolutely stunning I'm not done you're
not done I'm not done I haven't shown
you the best part which is this
three-dimensional
visualization that's it that's it that's
our egg see that little part right there
that's this here right that is yes so
well this is is a three-dimensional
rendering that is based on the CT data
and one thing that I can do is digitally
cut into it so now we're digitally
cutting in and somewhere through the
middle that's right and so here again we
see these fragments of eggshell inside
wow another thing that you can do once
the specimen has been digitized with CT
you can actually print it in three
dimensions so really yes you can with uh
3D printing you can actually take a file
generated from the CT data and print a
replica or a copy of it in plastic in
Gypsum and metal so it's really helped
with educational Outreach of these
precious specimens that most people
won't encounter otherwise Jesse this has
been so amazing being with you thank you
so much for being part of e Rock hasle
story we'll see you guys back in the
studio
okay guys that was so cool definitely a
bummer that there wasn't a baby dinosaur
in there anymore but at least we know
it's a real dinosaur egg now let's
welcome Amy back into the studio and see
what she thought hey Amy how you doing
so now that you know what the Rock is
what did you think of the story can't
believe that there wasn't a mini
dinosaur inside of it because once you
were like this is the dinosaur in the
beginning of the video I was like
totally prepared to have a baby dinosaur
inside but it's still really cool that
got a dinosaur egg and the shell and
like the little bit that's like white
was the actual egg it's like that's
really cool yeah I still kind of can't
believe that this is a real dinosaur egg
I was worried it was going to be a fake
to be honest but it is absolutely a real
egg so what was the coolest thing you
saw thing was when they showed the scan
and it had you could like see like in
high like detail of all the different
like little cracks and it was the exact
same as the Rocks I think that's really
high-tech technology yeah high-tech for
sure and I got another question for you
have you ever seen one of these 3D
printers that we talked about we have
some in our school library well if you
could get the file from our scin would
you be interested in making a 3D print
of the dinosaur egg yes well that's
awesome because we're going to provide a
link to that digital file that anyone
can download and print at home or in
school so Amy thank you so much for
being a part of this episode it's been
so great having you collecting a sample
like this amazing fossil egg is just the
start of the fun the excitement and the
Mystery of science as we work to unlock
the SEC Secrets hidden inside all things
like this rock sometimes you find what
you expect and sometimes you don't
either way that process of scientific
discovery is what all scientists find so
exciting think about it we were the very
first people who have ever seen inside
that egg since it hatched 70 million
years ago today's Technologies and
Laboratories do allow us to see the
distant past at ever higher levels of
detail and in our next episode we'll get
to visit my lab here at Boston College
for now I want to thank Jesse again for
welcoming us into her laboratory and I
want to thank Amy who got this thing
started with all of her careful
observations we'll see you guys next
time
[Music]
[Music]
bye-bye
[Music]
so setting up a scan is always a
compromise of what you're doing and how
you're setting it up it's kind of like
when you've got an old fashion TV you
sort of set the brightness set the
contrast to get the image just right for
what you're trying to deal
[Music]
with oh you guys know what Monica celis
tennis tennis
player that was her
[Music]
[Music]
gr so the X-ray source which I looks
like a cing on
warship so sleek and beautiful that's
right
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