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Scientists think they've found ancient remnants of dinosaur blood

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Science Desk

In Short: The team, led by scientists at Curtin University in Australia, identified what appear to be fossilized red blood cells, along with blood-derived molecules, preserved for over 100 million years, inside an unassuming dinosaur leg bone.

Curtin University bus entrance from front.

Dinosaur 🦖 Blood Found in 115 Million Year Old Fossil?. USAMYSTICA

Researchers studying a 115 million-year-old dinosaur bone have found what they believe to be the strongest evidence yet of red blood cells in a fossil. The discovery was made in Brazil, where scientists also detected chemical traces linked to hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen.

The team, led by scientists at Curtin University in Australia, identified what appear to be fossilized red blood cells, along with blood-derived molecules, preserved for over 100 million years, inside an unassuming dinosaur leg bone. The dinosaur, estimated to have measured 3 meters long and weighed about 34 kilograms, is believed to belong to a species called Aratasaurus museunacionali.

The researchers used a variety of tests to confirm their findings. In one test, they ground up bone samples and shot them with a laser, which revealed the presence of heme, a ring-shaped compound that contains iron and helps red blood cells transport oxygen. This chemical test bolstered their suspicions that they were looking at red blood cells.

The discovery could open up entirely new avenues for scientists, allowing them to investigate dinosaur blood, metabolism, and even their activity levels. As one researcher noted, 'The exciting implication is not just what we have found in this dinosaur. It is that we now have approaches that can be applied to other fossils to ask how much original biological information may still be hidden within them.'

However, as another scientist pointed out, 'One of the first questions is whether this is an extraordinarily rare occurrence or whether similar preservation has simply been overlooked in other fossils.' This skepticism underscores the need for further investigation and testing to confirm the findings.

The discovery of red blood cells in such an ancient fossil is significant because it challenges previous assumptions about what can survive the fossilization process. Scientists previously reported preserved blood vessel structures in a T. Rex fossil, raising questions about how biological traces survive fossilization.

In a separate development, scientists in China have discovered a giant new fungus species whose evolutionary family may date back around 65 million years. This fungus, which grows on dying or dead trees, may have emerged shortly after the mass extinction that killed the non-avian dinosaurs.

Background

What's confirmed

• Researchers studying a 115 million-year-old dinosaur bone have found what they believe to be the strongest evidence yet of red blood cells in a fossil. The discovery was made in Brazil, where scientists also detected chemical traces linked to hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen.
• The team, led by scientists at Curtin University in Australia, identified what appear to be fossilized red blood cells, along with blood-derived molecules, preserved for over 100 million years, inside an unassuming dinosaur leg bone. The dinosaur, estimated to have measured 3 meters long and weighed about 34 kilograms, is believed to belong to a species called Aratasaurus museunacionali.
• The researchers used a variety of tests to confirm their findings. In one test, they ground up bone samples and shot them with a laser, which revealed the presence of heme, a ring-shaped compound that contains iron and helps red blood cells transport oxygen. This chemical test bolstered their suspicions that they were looking at red blood cells.
• However, as another scientist pointed out, 'One of the first questions is whether this is an extraordinarily rare occurrence or whether similar preservation has simply been overlooked in other fossils.' This skepticism underscores the need for further investigation and testing to confirm the findings.
• The discovery of red blood cells in such an ancient fossil is significant because it challenges previous assumptions about what can survive the fossilization process. Scientists previously reported preserved blood vessel structures in a T. Rex fossil, raising questions about how biological traces survive fossilization.
• In a separate development, scientists in China have discovered a giant new fungus species whose evolutionary family may date back around 65 million years. This fungus, which grows on dying or dead trees, may have emerged shortly after the mass extinction that killed the non-avian dinosaurs.

What's still developing

• Nicknamed "Jodi," the fossil is one of only three known skeletons of Nanotyrannus, a smaller predatory dinosaur whose identity has been debated by scientists for decades.
• A bird that was eaten and partially excreted by a dinosaur 66 million years ago has left behind the best-preserved feathers ever recovered by scientists from dinosaur-age rock.
• If we come across organic matter, such as blood or tissue, that can change our understanding completely—which is what makes the latest discovery by Sergio Bertazzo and his colleagues at Imperial College London so thrilling.
• A team of scientists from the University of Arkansas and Auburn University offers a different one: seaweed and other marine plants carry a distinctive carbon signature, and animals that eat them, or eat creatures that do, should show it in their tooth enamel.

Sources

• CNNlink
• Science Dailylink
• Scitechdailylink
• ScienceAlertlink
• Zmesciencelink
• The Guardianlink
• Bgneslink
• Turkiyetodaylink
• Newscientistlink
• Qzlink
• Scilink
• Sciencelink
• Greekreporterlink
• Peoplelink
• WarpBeat — background on This may be the best evidence yet that dinosaur blood can fossilize link
• USAMYSTICA — video link
• Pastivora History — video link
• The Last Clue — video link