Aphotograph of the inside of a house flycarried out at the University of Granada (UGR) with amicrotomógrafo(a device that allows scanning small animals at high resolution) has been awarded as the best image of the year 2013 worldwide at the international microtomography congress “MicroCT Meeting 2013”, recently held in Hasselt (Belgium).
The microtomographic reconstruction, carried out by the professor of the Department of Zoology Javier Alba Tercedor, shows images of theinside the body of the houseflywith a level of detail like never before had been achieved. Achieving it has been possible thanks to a Skyscan 1172 microtomograph, which allows to obtain resolutions of 1.4 µm (microns) per pixel, which makes it possible to scan small animals at high resolution. Tomography is a non-invasive technique, which in the case of micro-CT allows obtaining high resolutions and, by not altering the samples in any way, makes it easier to study valuable specimens without causing any damage to them.
As Professor Alba-Tercedor explains, pTo obtain these types of images “it is necessary to take several thousand radiographs”. To do this, the animal we are studying is placed on a rotating platform, taking X-rays with a cadence that varies according to the quality required. In most cases lX-rays are taken every 0.1 degrees, so if rotated 180 degrees a total of 1,800 images are takenwhich, after being processed with special software, allow to obtain unimaginable results to date. Likewise, with these magnifications it is necessary to scan the animal in several parts and join them later using the appropriate software.
Javier Alba is currently working on a new line of research: the application of the use of microtomography in zoological studies. His work has, for example, made it possible to study insect eggs whose length, in some cases, is less than a tenth of a millimeter. For this, an attachment has been used that allows a scanning electron microscope to be converted into a high resolution microtomograph (less than 500 µm per pixel).
“This level of precision allows us to study not only the external structure, but also to show and study the embryo and its development, without having to make real histological sections,” says the researcher. In addition, the images and three-dimensional models (volume renderings) created from the images generated by the microtomograph, allow the development of “a new way of teaching, in which students can carry out virtual dissections of animals themselves without having to sacrifice them. , as has been done until now ”.
