Abstract
High-resolution CT scanning of teeth with a resolution on the 20 to 30 μm scale introduces doses in the range of 250 to 420 Gy in the tooth enamel. If the induced doses cannot be precisely estimated, subsequent ESR dating analysis becomes impossible. Considering the increased availability of portable, high-resolution CT scanners, curators of valuable human dental fossils have to make an informed decision whether they want to preclude ESR analysis, one of the few dating methods that can be applied to older fossils.
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Acknowledgements
Aspects of this study were supported by Australian Research Council Grant DP0664144 (Grün et al.) “Microanalysis of Human Fossils: New Insights into Age, Diet and Migration.” Support was also provided to SA and RR by the National Geographic Expeditions Council for research and excavation at Rampura. SA received funding from the National Science Foundation SGER Program (grant BCS0645368) for analysis and CT scanning of the Rampura specimen; the generous Mr. Pat Sharma for ongoing research in Indian prehistory; and the International Programs office at Texas A&M University for study of the Siwalik specimen. SA and RR are grateful to Dr. L.S. Chamyal for his considerable support in the excavation and analysis of the Rampura specimen. Thanks also to Matthew Colbert, Richard Ketcham, and the staff at the High-Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography Facility at The University of Texas at Austin (UTCT) and Lauren Butaric at Texas A&M University for her 3-D rendering of the teeth from the individual CT scans.
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Grün, R., Athreya, S., Raj, R. et al. ESR response in tooth enamel to high-resolution CT scanning. Archaeol Anthropol Sci 4, 25–28 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-011-0079-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-011-0079-7