Synchrotron Amber Measurement at ANSTO

The Peretti Museum aims to use the best available technologies to non-destructively study the extremely rare specimens housed by the collection. Through a cooperative research agreement between GRS and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), we are initially utilizing two world-class imaging facilities – the Imaging and Medical Beamline located at the Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne, and the neutron imaging facility “Dingo” at the OPAL nuclear research reactor in Sydney, Australia.

These facilities achieve comparable resolution at the micrometer scale using synchronized X-rays or subatomic particles to respectively analyze the mummified relics of life in amber and fossilized remains in associated bedrock. The data from these studies is being used directly for scientific publications, and to inform ongoing research.