It’s the ultimate prehistoric time capsule — and the New York State Museum and Albany Medical C enter are teaming together to unlock it. The Museum and Medical Center are planning to look inside two of its most interesting fossils, including a 70–80 million-year-old dinosaur egg.
Believed to be from a species of Hadrosaur — a duck-billed dinosaur from the late Cretaceous Period — the egg likely originates from Asia.
Roughly the size of a cantaloupe and weighing seven pounds, this fossilized relic has the potential to teach us specific details of the early life of these extinct creatures, known to have also lived in the Northeastern United States.
Using a 256-slice CT Scan, an advanced medical imaging technology that will provide three dimensional cross-sections of the artifact, researchers hope to uncover what lies hidden within the shell — embryonic structures, sediment layers, or even traces of fossilized soft tissue.
The scan, planned for Wednesday, June 11th, presents a rare, non-invasive opportunity to explore the fossil’s interior in exquisite detail while preserving its exterior.
The Museum’s dinosaur egg isn’t the only fossil being invested. Also under the digital knife is the skull of a Giant Beaver (Castoroides ohioensis) — an Ice Age mammal that was as large as a modern black bear.
The State Museum in Albany holds the first described skull and oldest fossil of this extinct species, and for the first time, its internal structure will be digitally examined.
Native to Pleistocene era New York, giant beavers’ skulls and teeth point to a unique diet and lifestyle. These scans will help scientists better understand this extinct species, its ecology, and how it is different from modern species.
In the coming weeks, the Museum and Albany Med are expected to share behind-the-scenes footage, scan imagery, and expert analysis of what’s discovered.
Read more about Paleontology in New York State.
Photos of both fossils provided by the State Museum.
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