[Eaker]

Out of curiosity how did you get your hands on some of the skin and what tests did you run on it to accurately date it?

[mnehring]

Radiocarbon dating, Potassium Argon dating, Obsidian Hydration dating, Paleomagnetic and Archaeomagnetic dating, Luminescence, and a whole range of other Isotopic dating methods.

[chesty_puller]

You just can’t ignore them, can ya?

[fishtank]

Hello.

Here is a good start for an introduction to the many recent soft tissue finds in rock strata.

http://www.icr.org/article/dinosaur-soft-tissue-issue-here-stay/

I personally did not get any skin and run a test to date it, but I did look at the relevant literature.

PS, for twenty five years, I’ve been doing work in a field of science that represents a transitional regime between classical and statistical fluid dynamics.

Fishtank, Ph.D.

[fishtank]

Manning, P. L. et al. 2009. Mineralized soft-tissue structure and chemistry in a mummified hadrosaur from the Hell Creek Formation, North Dakota (USA). Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Published online before print, July 1, 2009.

Mineralized soft-tissue structure and chemistry in a mummified hadrosaur from the Hell Creek Formation, North Dakota (USA)

Phillip L. Manning1,2,
Peter M. Morris1,3,
Adam McMahon4,
Emrys Jones4,
Andy Gize1,
Joe H. S. Macquaker1,
George Wolff7,
Anu Thompson7,
Jim Marshall7,
Kevin G. Taylor8,
Tyler Lyson9,
Simon Gaskell5,
Onrapak Reamtong5,
William I. Sellers6,
Bart E. van Dongen1,3,
Mike Buckley1,10 and
Roy A. Wogelius1,3,*

+ Author Affiliations

1
School of Earth, Atmospheric, and Environmental Sciences
, University of Manchester,
Manchester
, UK
2
The Manchester Museum
, University of Manchester,
Manchester
, UK
3
Williamson Research Centre for Molecular Environmental Science
, University of Manchester,
Manchester
, UK
4
Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre
, University of Manchester,
Manchester
, UK
5
Manchester Interdisciplinary Biocentre
, University of Manchester,
Manchester
, UK
6
Faculty of Life Sciences
, University of Manchester,
Manchester
, UK
7
Earth and Ocean Sciences
, University of Liverpool,
Liverpool
, UK
8
Environmental and Geographical Sciences
, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
9
Geology and Geophysics Department
, Yale University, USA
10
Department of Biology
, University of York, UK

*Author for correspondence (roy.wogelius@manchester.ac.uk).

Abstract

An extremely well-preserved dinosaur (Cf. Edmontosaurus sp.) found in the Hell Creek Formation (Upper Cretaceous, North Dakota) retains soft-tissue replacement structures and associated organic compounds. Mineral cements precipitated in the skin apparently follow original cell boundaries, partially preserving epidermis microstructure. Infrared and electron microprobe images of ossified tendon clearly show preserved mineral zonation, with silica and trapped carbon dioxide forming thin linings on Haversian canals within apatite. Furthermore, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) of materials recovered from the skin and terminal ungual phalanx suggests the presence of compounds containing amide groups. Amino acid composition analyses of the mineralized skin envelope clearly differ from the surrounding matrix; however, intact proteins could not be obtained using protein mass spectrometry. The presence of endogenously derived organics from the skin was further demonstrated by pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (Py-GCMS), indicating survival and presence of macromolecules that were in part aliphatic (see the electronic supplementary material).