University of Michigan Creating 3-D Prehistoric Experience

Science enthusiasts interested in prehistory will soon be able to search an online reference website compiled of three-dimensional images of creatures that roamed the Earth before civil society.

The website, which is being created by the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology, will offer a vast selection of 3-D images of prehistoric fossils for both researchers and the general public. Interestingly, this project began nearly 20 years ago, when Paleontologist Daniel Fisher and his students took on the task of scanning all of the images.

“On this website we'll be providing 3-D models that allow you to manipulate these objects onscreen and to do very much what we would do if we had the real specimen in our own hands—zoom in on it, rotate it this way and that, and even make measurements of it," said Fisher.

Visitors to the site can expect to view 3-D images of mammoths, mastadons, early whales, among others. The site will be set up so that it can be easily viewed on smartphones.