An update from one of my favorite stories from the Smithsonian X 3D team.
Scientists 3D print a whale graveyard to solve ‘Sudden Death at Sea’ mystery. From 3Ders.org:
It is one of the largest fossil site discovered in recent years – a mysterious whale graveyard was found in the Atacama Desert of Northern Chile.
The site was first discovered during an expansion project of the Pan-American Highway in 2010. The following year, Smithsonian and Chilean scientists examined the fossils, and wanted to figure out what happened 6–9 million years ago.
…Because the site was soon to be covered by the Pan-American Highway, Smithsonian paleontologists along with its 3D Digitization Program Office spent a week 3D scanning the entire dig site, capturing essential data about the arrangement and condition of the skeletons.
Although all the fossils found from 2010 to 2013 have been moved to museums in the Chilean cities of Caldera and Santiago, the Smithsonian has put much of its digital data, including 3D scans and maps, online allowing anyone to download or interact with 3D models of the fossil whale skeletons. The 3D model is also being 3D printed so researchers could continue their investigation of the site….
Every Thursday is #3dthursday here at Adafruit! The DIY 3D printing community has passion and dedication for making solid objects from digital models. Recently, we have noticed electronics projects integrated with 3D printed enclosures, brackets, and sculptures, so each Thursday we celebrate and highlight these bold pioneers!
Have you considered building a 3D project around an Arduino or other microcontroller? How about printing a bracket to mount your Raspberry Pi to the back of your HD monitor? And don’t forget the countless LED projects that are possible when you are modeling your projects in 3D!
The Adafruit Learning System has dozens of great tools to get you well on your way to creating incredible works of engineering, interactive art, and design with your 3D printer! We also offer the MakerBot Digitizer in our store. If you’ve made a cool project that combines 3D printing and electronics, be sure to let us know, and we’ll feature it here!