CSBR: Rescuing and Sharing a Unique and Irreplaceable Fossil Collection at the Duke Lemur Center

杜克狐猴中心有两个独特的、不可替代的藏品：一个是马达加斯加以外现存最大的狐猴种群，另一个是自然历史藏品，其中包括美国最多样化的灵长类动物化石收藏之一。这些来自美国、埃及、马达加斯加和哥伦比亚的化石标本帮助研究人员利用生命之树将狐猴研究与包括人类在内的其他灵长类动物研究联系起来。不幸的是，DLC的一些最重要的化石，包括一些最古老的狐猴化石和一些最古老的猴子化石，正在积极地分解，因为在石化过程中，标本中嵌入了不稳定的盐矿物。这个项目是一个拯救任务，以稳定和保存这些化石的物理和数字形式。训练有素的化石技术人员将从最濒危的标本中去除盐分矿物，并将恢复活力的化石储存在新的标本柜中，以便更好地控制标本周围的温度和湿度。研究小组还将利用x射线对这些标本进行3D扫描。扫描为这些化石创建了一个备份记录，以防它们继续恶化。扫描结果将被上传到MorphoSource，这是一个在线存储库，允许教育工作者、学生和研究人员从任何可以上网的设备上以3D方式检查化石。有了更稳定的收藏，DLC化石收藏可以向公众开放，进行面对面和虚拟参观，DLC教育团队将使用扫描和3D打印创建在线展览和课程指南。藏品中最不稳定的化石来自埃及法尤姆凹陷的第41处。该遗址是非洲陆地古近系化石最密集的地区之一。除了像Catopithecus和Plesiopithecus这样的灵长类动物外，该遗址还保存着巨型水獭、啮齿动物、蝙蝠、蛇、鸟类和食肉动物。这个网球场大小的化石矿床位于埃及西部沙漠，在20世纪80年代到2010年代期间被积极开采。发掘队的目标是化石最丰富的部分。这使得DLC的收藏通过额外的实地工作变得不可替代。该项目部分支持化石制备者，他将专注于埃及的收藏以及收藏中的其他不稳定材料。它还部分支持数字断层扫描仪（Digital tomograph）和DLC数据管理器（Data Manager），前者将使用杜克大学的微ct扫描仪对最危险的标本进行扫描，后者将与断层扫描仪一起备份并上传扫描数据到MorphoSource。数据管理员将领导将更高分辨率的标本数据添加到DLC指定数据库的工作，该数据库将与iDigBio （idigbio.org）和全球生物多样性信息设施（gbif.org）集成。该项目还支持微型ct扫描仪访问和新的标本存储柜。DLC教育团队将使用这些新稳定的标本为北卡罗莱纳州K-12学生和DLC游客创建课程目标旅游和导游。最终，极其脆弱的化石标本将被亲自或在线提供给研究人员、学生和公众。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Duke Lemur Center is responsible for two unique and irreplaceable collections: the largest living population of lemurs outside of their native Madagascar and a natural history collection that includes one of the most diverse primate fossil collections in the United States. The fossil collection – with specimens from the United States, Egypt, Madagascar, and Colombia – helps researchers use the tree of life to connect lemur research to other primates, including humans. Unfortunately, some of the most important fossils at the DLC, including some of the oldest lemur fossils and some of the oldest monkey fossils, are actively breaking down because unstable salt minerals were embedded in the specimens during fossilization. This project is a rescue mission to stabilize and preserve these fossils in physical and digital form. Highly trained fossil technicians will remove salt minerals from the most endangered specimens and store the revitalized fossils in new specimen cabinets that better control the temperature and humidity around the specimens. The team will also create 3D scans of the specimens using x-rays. The scans create a back-up record of the fossils in case they continue to deteriorate. The scans will be uploaded to MorphoSource, an online repository that allows educators, students, and researchers to examine fossils in 3D from any device with internet access. With a better-stabilized collection, the DLC fossil collection can open to the public for in-person and virtual tours, and online exhibits and curriculum guides will be created by the DLC education team using scans and 3D prints. The most unstable fossils in the collection come from Locality 41 in the Fayum Depression in Egypt. The site is one of the most fossil-dense terrestrial Paleogene localities in Africa. Along with primates like Catopithecus and Plesiopithecus, the site preserves giant hyraxes, rodents, bats, snakes, birds, and carnivores. The tennis-court sized fossil deposit in the Western Desert of Egypt was actively quarried in the 1980s through 2010s. The most fossil-rich sections were targeted by the excavation teams. This makes the collection at the DLC irreplaceable through additional fieldwork. This project partially supports a Fossil Preparator who will focus on the Egyptian collection as well as other unstable materials in the collection. It also partially supports a Digital Tomographer who will use the Duke microCT scanner to generate scans of the most at-risk specimens, and the DLC Data Manager who will work with the Tomographer to backup and upload scan data to MorphoSource. The data manager will lead the effort to add higher resolution specimen data to the DLC Specify database, which will integrate with iDigBio (idigbio.org) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (gbif.org). The project also supports microCT scanner access and new specimen storage cabinets. The DLC education team will use these newly stable specimens to create curriculum-targeted tours and guides for North Carolina K-12 students and visitors to the DLC. Ultimately, exceedingly fragile fossil specimens will be available in-person and online to researchers, students, and the general public.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.