Exploratory neutron histology of blood vessel preservation in Cretaceous dinosaur bone

This project aims to explore the application of neutron tomography for discovery of soft tissues in fossils. More specifically, the focus is on preserved blood vessels in Cretaceous dinosaur bones that have been recently discovered by our team through the use of synchrotron radiation techniques performed at the Canadian Light Source. The project offers an opportunity to combine well established use of synchrotron radiation techniques with neutron beams at IMAT beamline to provide complementary analysis of ancient soft tissue preservation, and possibly resolve vessel structures in dense bone where synchrotron radiation tomography contrast is limited. This research will help support inferences on evolution (related to the healed fractures on the bone samples) and help redefine the limits of soft tissue preservation in deep time.