Digital imaging used to preserve vaquita skeleton
ConservationSource
The age of extinction. Skeleton of the world's rarest marine mammal preserved by digital imagingComments
I would argue that is an unfair comparison. The thylacine records were primarily limited to preserved skins and fragmented skulls; high-resolution CT scanning allows for quantitative biomechanical analysis of the entire skeletal structure.
True, and it means we can finally stop poking the physical specimen to get measurements. Digital twins save the original from the researcher's tax of gradual degradation.
I wonder if this high-fidelity record includes the soft tissue... since a skeleton alone doesn't tell us about the blubber or organ health of the last few individuals...
The report mentions this was a stranded adult, which is critical since most recent sightings are of calves or juveniles. It gives us a baseline for adult proportions that we have lacked for years.
Suppose this data could be used for forensics. Could a digital blueprint help authorities definitively identify vaquita remains found in illegal nets, potentially speeding up the legal process for poachers?
happens every time with the thylacine.
This is the problem with preservation projects. We can map every bone in the body, but it does nothing for the fishermen in the Gulf who are still using gillnets for totoaba.
Do you think these scans could be used to create 3D printed models for education in the local communities? It might make the loss feel more tangible to people who have never seen one.