I’m part of an EU-funded project to 3D-print the skeleton of a dwarf elephant skeleton from Tilos, and one of my jobs has been to CT scan the skeleton of an Asian elephant. This is so that colleagues Evangelos and George Theodorou in Athens can use these scans to fill in any gaps they have in the dwarf elephant skeleton (for example if certain bones are missing from the fossil collections).

So yesterday I went to the RVC to scan one of the NHM’s elephant skeletons in their horse-sized CT scanner, with some help from What’s in John’s Freezer?‘s John Hutchinson. We tweeted as we went…

 

One Asian elephant skull entering the CT scanner (@johnrhutchinson for scale) pic.twitter.com/t1ZkAxrCjB

— Victoria Herridge (@ToriHerridge) October 22, 2013

OH YEAH! #elescanning w/ @johnrhutchinson pic.twitter.com/Us06M9eEy5

— Victoria Herridge (@ToriHerridge) October 22, 2013

What’s in John’s Scanner? #elescanning w/ @johnrhutchinson pic.twitter.com/Xc2wosUDZ6

#elescanning with @ToriHerridge Yes we are even doing the ribs. All stinkin’ 40 of em! Tori smiles… http://t.co/BLds3wYPIF

— John R. Hutchinson (@JohnRHutchinson) October 22, 2013

— Victoria Herridge (@ToriHerridge) October 22, 2013

 

Like silver bells, or cockle shells, our pretty ribs all in a row #elescanning w/ @JohnRHutchinson pic.twitter.com/YxnirLVbWB — Victoria Herridge (@ToriHerridge) October 22, 2013

 

Ghostly tendrils of dried cartilage… #elescanning w/@johnrhutchinson pic.twitter.com/Zr63Gpbljv — Victoria Herridge (@ToriHerridge) October 22, 2013

 

Job done! Team #elescanning averaged 1 CT slice/second for 2 hrs, not bad for medical CT! High five @ToriHerridge! http://t.co/X2N24svS0X

— John R. Hutchinson (@JohnRHutchinson) October 22, 2013

And of course, John-the-Hutch has a 3D printer all of his own, which I had to check out…

Best printer queue EVAH in @johnrhutchinson‘s lab: pic.twitter.com/4rQOdVHW6m

— Victoria Herridge (@ToriHerridge) October 22, 2013

3D printer begins to print a super-sized mole humerus. I want all @johnrhutchinson‘s toys pic.twitter.com/fD8p4lF1ni

— Victoria Herridge (@ToriHerridge) October 22, 2013

 

…before heading back to the NHM with our elephant all wrapped up. My mum came to work with me that day.

Your average family car, with an elephant in the boot #plentyoftrunkspace pic.twitter.com/aL2XhtlJTa

— Victoria Herridge (@ToriHerridge) October 22, 2013

[and yes, that is my mum driving. Love my mum #slightlyembarrassingthough]

— Victoria Herridge (@ToriHerridge) October 22, 2013