Read the excerpt from "Bone Detective." Diane made a rubber silicone mold of the impression. Then, she made a sturdy wax cast of the mold and sent it to a metalworks company. The foundry workers coated the wax mold with plaster and put it in an industrial oven. The wax melted off, leaving a plaster shell. The workers poured melted bronze into the shell, and the metal cooled and hardened into a bronze tiger tongue. Diane’s casts of the tongue and paw allowed zoo visitors to share her amazing experience. People felt the roughness of the big cat’s tongue and spread a hand inside the palm of its giant paw. This, she decided, was one of the coolest things I have ever done. She savored the moment, knowing that far graver matters were always just a phone call awa
