High quality 3D imaging of vertebrate microremains using X-ray synchrotron phase contrast microtomography Imagerie 3D haute qualité de microrestes de vertébrés par microtomographie à rayonnement X synchrotron en contraste de phase

abstract Vertebrate microremains, particularly teeth, represent a substantial part of known verte-brate biodiversity. Many groups, such as Mesozoic mammals, are known mostly throughisolated teeth. Classical imaging techniques of such complex millimetric to inframillime-tric objects are most often limited by problems of manipulation, depth of focus or limitedorientation. The methods generally used are stereomicroscopy (including in-focus z-seriesreconstruction) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), which provide good images.Nevertheless, both provide 2D static images or partial and directional 3D data, makingcompleteobservationdifficult.PropagationphasecontrastsynchrotronX-raymicrotomog-raphyisapowerfultechniquealleviatingtheselimitations.Thankstosubmicronresolutionandtotheedgedetectioneffect,itrapidlyprovides3Ddatafromminutesampleswithlevelsofqualityanddetailunattainableusingconventionalmicrotomographs.Complexmorphol-ogy of small specimens can be studied with unlimited orientation possibilities and, whencoupled with 3D printing, it allows enlarged 3D reproductions of such small and fragilefossils.© 2010 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.