‘Combining the old and new’: paleontologist merges modern technology with research

Paleontologist Haviv Avrahami is using digital technologies to transform his field. As the Museum of the Rockies (MOR)’s digital collections and field specialist, Avrahami presented his research and the developments he has made in paleontology last Thursday, Nov. 6. 

During the talk, he explained his role at the MOR. “Basically, I get to combine all the things I love — fossils, technology and field work —  into one job,” he said.

Avrahami said that he creates 3D scans and prints of fossils, educates students about incorporating digital meth

ods in their research and manages field excavations during the summer. 

“Here at the [MOR], we're combining the old and the new, the foundational science of paleontology and the cutting-edge tools of the digital age,” Avrahami said. “The goal is clear: to make fossils more accessible, more permanent and more engaging for both researchers and the public, because every fossil has a story, and through technology we can tell those stories in ways that were never before possible.” 

Avrahami said that 3D scanning allows researchers to create digital copies of fossils that occupy virtually no space. “They can't break and they never degrade. And when paired with 3D printing, those digital scans can become physical replicas — again, much faster, lighter and easier to handle than traditional casts,” he said.

Avrahami’s path to paleontology had its share of twists and turns. “I actually dropped out of high school, but I was really motivated, and I stayed in love and had a lot of passion for science and nature. So, I started back at community college, and one thing led to another,” he said. He now holds a Ph.D. in biological sciences from North Carolina State University. 

While conducting research for his Ph.D., Avrahami discovered a new dinosaur, Fona herzogae. He and his team discovered the fossils in the historical Western Interior Seaway, a massive inland ocean that divided North America millions of years ago, he said.

“To our surprise, we found the skeletons of two small dinosaurs nearly perfectly preserved side by side in what seemed to be an underground burrow,” Avrahami said. 

According to him, after years of careful research, the team determined that these small dinosaurs were in fact a new species. His team named the species after the ancestral mother of the Chamorro people ofGuam, Fo’na. 

“There were cool parallels between Fo’na, the myth, and Fona, the dinosaur,” Avrahami said. “When [Fo’na] died, she became petrified into the earth, and from her fossilized body new life came forth. And then, Fona the dinosaur, which was also petrified and fossilized within the earth.”

Avrahami developed 3D data collection and analysis methodologies that were key to confirming that the Fona was a new dinosaur. These methods are now being widely adopted across the field of paleontology and other labs, according to him. 

Avrahami said effective visualization has always been one of the best ways to understand fossils, and using 3D scanning allows researchers to capture, study and share fossils with incredible precision. 

“Over the last decade, 3D data has become a cornerstone of paleontological research,” he said. “3D printing isn’t just about making replicas. It’s also a scientific tool for testing hypotheses and visualizing anatomy.”

Unlike previous 3D-scanning methods, Avrahami’s new technology uses the iPhone to capture high-resolution scans. According to him, the iPhone is superior to traditional methods for examining extremely small fossils and capturing the complex structure of bones. 

During the presentation, Avrahami played videos of himself using the iPhone to capture high-resolution scans of fossils. The phone was decked out with lights and a fan to cool the device, while a tiny bone turned atop a modified disco-ball rotator. “It’s all very DIY,” Avrahami said.

“[3D scanning] is the future compared to molds and casts,” said paleontology student and event attendee Andrew Victorino. “The detail you can get from [an iPhone] is nearly just as good, and it's a lot more cost-effective. A student like me could just download an app and make a quick 3D scan, and it could go into a collection anywhere in the world.” 

Avrahami said that he is currently working on a guide for students and traveling researchers so they can also use their phones to scan fossils.

“The goal [is] a low-cost, portable, reliable system for collecting 3D data in the field and in the lab, but primarily for the benefit of students with limited budgets or traveling researchers who can't lug around gigantic, expensive commercial scanners,” he said.

Avrahami’s talk is part of the MOR’s Presenting Prehistory Lecture Series. The next talk, featuring paleontologist Ashley Hall, will be held on Dec. 4. To learn more, visit https://museumoftherockies.org/calendar/presenting-hall.