Shall these bones live? shall these Bones live?

December 23, 2013 1:31 PM

Settling in for a long winter's nap? In need of a memento mori to guard against the unbridled jollity of the season? Just want to explore the wonderful world of 3D scans, osteology, and bioarchaeology on the internet a little further? Sad that Santa probably isn't bringing you a T-Rex for Christmas? Well, just peak inside...

For those who are members of the conservative dinosaur readiness movement, you'll be pleased to note that science is helping to unmask the innermost secrets of dinosaurs (and other prehistoric specimens)...now in 3D!

Print your very own trilobite!
All kinds of British fossils!
Pterosaur skull: now in CT scan format
The original cast of the Cretaceous Jersey Shore, now in 3D! (video)
...led by a professor who is now working on ROBOTIC 3D DINOSAURS
All kinds of paleontology and geology 3D sources!
More dinosaur scans in the news (and in formal publications)
Students and dinosaurs and museums, oh my (YT video)


But maybe you're more a fan of hominids, and don't worry:

My god, it's full of 3D hominid skulls!
The Smithsonian gives us a roundup of the best hominid bones online

But then you think: are there no bones of a more recent vintage online?

3D archaeology used in the field; VZAP's main site
Burials at Catal Hoyuk (just read the whole blog, it's great)
Cyber Archaeology at Catal Hoyuk
Images from a Croatian bioarchaeology collection
Hamburger? If it's tough to tell, maybe you need to look at these zooarchaeological links
What holiday cocktail party wouldn't be improved with Bronze Age donkey remains and cremation evidence studies? Even more bioarchaeology articles online!
Academia.edu roundup of 3D and archaeology papers [many are not about bones; please note that these are self-submitted papers from a variety of sources, including pre-prints and unedited/unpublished works]


Perhaps the greatest resource for bioarchaeology on the internet remains Kristina Killgrove's Powered by Osteons, where you can read all about the latest in Roman bioarchaeological news, her research and 3D printing, and the continuing question of Who needs an osteologist?

Additional bone-based blogs: These Bones of Mine, Bones Don't Lie, and Strange Remains

Interested in museum ethics and ongoing discussions around collections with human remains? This paper in particular has an extremely extensive bibliography, though suggestions around the ethics of reproduction and displays in the digital age are welcome.

Nightmare before Christmas bonus: the bone-eating snot-flower worm

Previous related discussions and news on Metafilter. (And many more.)

Title credit: TS Eliot, Ash Wednesday

Special thanks to the mods for looking this over!

posted by jetlagaddict (4 comments total)

Sad that Santa probably isn't bringing you a T-Rex for Christmas?

Nope, I'm sad Santa probably isn't bringing me a 3D printer, but I'll be content knowing that these 3D models can be used to make some weird animations in the future.

Also, though I won't be getting any dinos for Christmas, I'm more content thinking about de-evolving birds to create dinosaurs.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:40 PM on December 23, 2013

WTF? I thought Mefites were made of dinosaurs and 3D stuff, and it gets ONE comment?
posted by sneebler at 10:11 AM on December 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

As a physical anthropologist in a former life, thank you. Best. Crimma. Present. Ever.
posted by the_royal_we at 11:32 AM on December 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

And see also this brief series! Quick Tips: How To Estimate The Chronological Age Of A Human Skeleton. (Well, I'm excited!) And sorry, the Burials at Catal Hoyuk link should have gone here.
posted by jetlagaddict at 8:10 PM on December 28, 2013