Microfossil vacuum picker—a new tool for micropaleontologists

Extract

A considerable part of micropaleontological work consists of picking microfossils for various types of analyses. Physical removal of specimens from a sample is necessary, for example, in morphometric, stable isotope, geochemical, and molecular studies of microfossils. The traditional method for picking microfossils involves transfer of each specimen from the picking tray to a slide using a moistened brush or a needle. This process requires a great deal of time and the risk of losing or damaging the specimen on the way from the picking tray to the slide is apparent. Furthermore, in geochemical analyses, the use of a moistened brush or needle for picking considerably increases the risk of contamination by undesirable organic substances, such as amino acids and polysaccharids. The brush-licking practised by some micropaleontologists results in anthropogenic contamination, which affects the results of molecular micropaleontologic analyses. We present a simple and effective device for microfossil picking, which may save about 60 percent of the time devoted to picking microfossils and prevent contamination during preparation.