A team of researchers from Sapienza University of Rome developed an innovative protocol for the morphological digitisation of skulls. The procedure, published in the journal ‘STAR Protocols’ by the ‘CellPress’ group, makes it possible to create highly accurate three-dimensional models, and to overcome the challenges associated with the digital reconstruction of complex structures such as horns, tusks and antlers.

The publication of this protocol and its innovative approach provide practical and detailed guidance for researchers and open up new perspectives in the fields of palaeontology, zoology and museum conservation.

The protocol uses the technique of 3D photogrammetry, which allows the dimensions of an object and its position in space to be digitally reconstructed with great accuracy from photographs.

Using this method, valuable samples can be digitally preserved and analysed, minimising both the risk of damage from physical handling and the costs involved, providing an affordable, high-precision alternative for museums, universities and research centres.

‘Thanks to this protocol- says Naomi De Leo, PhD student at Sapienza and first author of the study - we are able to obtain three-dimensional models faithful to reality even for particularly complex bone structures, improving the possibilities of morphological analysis and scientific collaboration at an international level’.

Some of the models examined are housed in the collections of Sapienza Museums, in particular Museum of Zoology and Museum of Comparative Anatomy ‘B. Grassi’. The analysis of these collections, which have recently been included in an ambitious museum digitisation project with the aim of increasing the accessibility of naturalistic collections, makes it possible to conduct large-scale comparative studies and to make the exhibits available to the scientific community through digital archives.

‘This tool,’ says Davide Tamagnini, researcher at Sapienza and co-author of the study, ‘is a step forward in the preservation and sharing of morphological data, offering new opportunities for research and teaching’.

References:

Protocol for 3D photogrammetry and morphological digitization of complex skulls / DE LEO, Naomi; Chimenti, Claudio; Maiorano, Luigi; Tamagnini, Davide. - In: STAR PROTOCOLS. - ISSN 2666-1667. - 6:1(2025). [10.1016/j.xpro.2024.103572]

Further Information:

Naomi De Leo

Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin

naomi.deleo@uniroma1.it

Davide Tamagnini

Department of Biology and Biotechnology Charles Darwin

davide.tamagnini@uniroma1.it