For decades, scientists generally assumed that fossilization destroyed the original organic molecules once present in bones, teeth, and other tissues. Under that view, proteins and other biological materials were not expected to survive for tens of millions of years.
New research led by the University of Liverpool now provides strong evidence that some Mesozoic fossils, including dinosaur bones and teeth, can retain traces of those original organic materials.
Using advanced analytical methods, researchers detected remnants of collagen in the hip bone of an Edmontosaurus, a duck billed dinosaur. The finding adds important new evidence to a scientific debate that has continued for about 30 years.
Ancient Collagen Found in a Dinosaur Fossil
The study, published in Analytical Chemistry, examined an exceptionally well preserved Edmontosaurus sacrum weighing 22 kilograms. The sacrum is a group of vertebrae connected to the pelvis and forms part of the animal's lower spine.
