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Study pits man v machine in piecing together 425-million years old jigsaw

Posted on 17/11/2009
University of Leicester

Study pits man v machine in piecing together 425-million years old jigsaw

A new study pitting academic expertise against a computer in recreating a 425 million-year old jigsaw puzzle has discovered that there is no substitute for wisdom born out of experience.

The research tested the reliability of expert identification versus computer analysis in reconstructing fossils. The investigation, based on fossil teeth from extinct vertebrates, found that the most specialized experts provided the most reliable identifications.

University of Leicester researcher Dr Mark Purnell said: