Adam Maloof, an associate professor in geosciences at Princeton, discovered the fossils of creatures that resemble a sponge embedded in limestone. Maloof had been seeking evidence of a global deep freeze when he collected the rocks in Australia. The fossils date to approximately 650 million years ago. To study the fossils, researchers attempted to shave the limestone on a nearly microscopic level, take pictures, and superimpose the images. Unfortunately, the pictures would not align. Drilling was attempted but proved too difficult with such fine samples.

Maloof was able to establish a need to create what is now the Princeton Grinder Lab. The grinder, complete with camera, can perform with robotic precision, everything Maloof had been trying to accomplish by hand. The diamond head grinder can shave a sample as fine as one micron, rinse and clean the sample, before photographing it.

The images are sent to a computer where they can be viewed in a manner reminiscent of stop motion. When the photos are viewed atop one and other, a 360 degree image is created. The process replaces the arduous task of serial sectioning and is far more invasive than x-rays, making it an easier and more thorough way to examine the fossils.

Maloof’s fossils may be proof that animal life was present on Earth far before we thought it was. Maloof hopes to open the lab to other scientists in the near future.

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