• Neutrons detect light elements such as hydrogen especially well.
• X-rays reveal heavier elements more effectively.

The contrast resembles the difference between an MRI, which highlights soft tissue, and a standard X-ray, which shows dense bone. Researchers choose the method based on the question.

The work traces to 2020, when Mitchell—then a University of Regina undergraduate—detected evidence of blood vessels inside the rib. At the Canadian Light Source, he used micro-CT scanning, a noninvasive X-ray technique, to confirm fossilized soft tissue in cut sections.

As the project grew, researchers combined synchrotron radiation at the Canadian Light Source with microscopy. Together the techniques let the team study the healing injury and preserved tissues at the cellular level.

What did the neutron beams reveal?

In April 2026, the team used two instruments at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee:

• MARS at the High Flux Isotope Reactor, which generates cold neutrons that highlight hydrogen-rich soft tissue in smaller samples such as amber and fossilized scales.
• VENUS at the Spallation Neutron Source, which produces high-energy neutrons capable of penetrating deep into large bones and producing detailed 3D images.

Researchers used VENUS to examine Scotty's rib itself.

Marcella Berg, a University of Regina assistant professor of physics and former ORNL postdoctoral researcher, said the neutron data corroborated earlier X-ray findings and added new contrast for soft tissues, giving the team an unusual amount of detail without damaging the samples.

Why does this approach matter for paleontology?

As neutrons pass through a specimen, they interact with atoms throughout the material and respond strongly to hydrogen. Those interactions generate information that converts into images. Because neutrons behave differently from X-rays, they expose features that other imaging methods often miss.

"People often think of neutrons as tools for studying batteries or advanced materials, but they're just as innovative for answering questions about ancient life," said Hassina Bilheux, lead instrument scientist for VENUS.

The team plans to continue analyzing data from VENUS and MARS and to apply the same approach to additional fossils. Future work will compare patterns of injury and healing across species, including modern animals.

What are the limits of this study?

The findings rest on a single rib from a single dinosaur. Neutron imaging also requires access to a small number of specialized facilities worldwide. Researchers acknowledge that scaling the technique to many more fossils will take time and beam-time allocations.

Still, Mitchell argues the payoff could be large. "There are more fossils than you think sitting in collections, hiding secrets from millions of years ago," he said. "Putting them in a synchrotron or neutron source allows us to make new discoveries about ancient life like never before."