Phase-contrast X-ray micro-tomography unveils tiny Cretaceous plant mesofossils

At the TOMCAT beamline of the Swiss Light Source at the Paul Scherrer Institute, a phase-contrast X-ray tomographic microscope was recently applied to some very interesting research - the identification and classification of small fossil seeds (0.5~1.8 mm long) of the Early Cretaceous in Portugal and North America. The conclusion is that these seeds belong to Gnetales and to Bennettitales. The experiment used a very fast tomography method, the algorithm of which was introduced by Bronnikov, and refined by Gureyev. For more information, see the paper, "Phase-contrast X-ray microtomography links Cretaceous seeds with Gnetales and Bennettitales", E. M. Friis et al., Nature, 450, 549-552 (2007).