chrysalis_1From Wired: For the first time, scientists have captured 3D images of caterpillars caught in the process of morphing into butterflies. The traditional method of studying metamorphosis — namely, dissection — is destructive and doesn’t allow researchers to watch the entire process unfold. To watch unobtrusively, researchers at the University of Manchester X-Ray Imaging Facility used high-resolution computed tomography (CT) to capture images of chrysalises over the course of 16 days. They saw major organs develop, and were surprised to find that the trachea and other airways often formed within the first 12 hours of pupation.