Paleontology Shaken: Organic Molecules Found in 66-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Bones

Scitech Daily ^ | February 11, 2025 | University of Liverpool

[Red Badger]

Close up of the hip bone of an Edmontosaurus. Credit: University of Liverpool

Liverpool researchers’ discovery of collagen in fossilized bones could provide new insights into dinosaurs.

For years, scientists widely believed that the fossilization process destroyed all original organic molecules, leaving fossils devoid of their original biological material.

However, a groundbreaking study led by the University of Liverpool has provided strong evidence that Mesozoic fossils, including dinosaur bones and teeth, still contain preserved organic materials.

Using advanced mass spectrometry and other analytical techniques, researchers detected remnants of collagen in the hip bone of an Edmontosaurus, a duck-billed dinosaur. This discovery helps settle a long-standing debate that has persisted for over 30 years.

The study, published in the journal Analytical Chemistry, used several techniques, including protein sequencing, to detect and characterize bone collagen in the 22-kilogram fossil. The fossil is an exceptionally well-preserved Edmontosaurus sacrum excavated from Upper Cretaceous strata of the South Dakota Hell Creek Formation. It is part of the University of Liverpool’s collections and offers a unique opportunity for cutting-edge analyses.

The fossil is an exceptionally well preserved Edmontosaurus sacrum. Credit: University of Liverpool Key Findings and implications

Professor Steve Taylor, chair of the Mass Spectrometry Research Group at the University of Liverpool’s Department of Electrical Engineering & Electronics, said:

“This research shows beyond doubt that organic biomolecules, such as proteins like collagen, appear to be present in some fossils.

“Our results have far-reaching implications. Firstly, it refutes the hypothesis that any organics found in fossils must result from contamination.

“Secondly, it suggests that cross-polarized light microscopy images of fossil bones, collected for a century, should be revisited. These images may reveal intact patches of bone collagen, potentially offering a ready-made trove of fossil candidates for further protein analysis. This could unlock new insights into dinosaurs– for example revealing connections between dinosaur species that remain unknown.

“Lastly, the findings inform the intriguing mystery of how these proteins have managed to persist in fossils for so long.”

Hip bone of an Edmontosaurus. Credit: University of Liverpool

The research not only appears to resolve a long-standing scientific debate but also opens further avenues for studying ancient life, offering a glimpse into the biochemical preservation of fossils of extinct creatures.

Collaboration across disciplines

The study brought together experts from multiple disciplines:

Researchers from UCLA contributed to the study, using tandem mass spectrometry to detect and quantify—for the first time—the amino acid hydroxyproline, which is specific to collagen when found in bone, thus confirming the presence of decayed collagen.

Researchers from the University of Liverpool’s Mass Spectrometry Research Group conducted protein sequencing and mass spectrometry tests.

Specialists from the University’s Materials Innovation Factory carried out additional analyses to confirm the results.

The Centre for Proteome Research at the University of Liverpool identified fragments of collagen alpha-1, the main form of collagen in bone tissue.

Reference:

“Evidence for Endogenous Collagen in Edmontosaurus Fossil Bone”

by Lucien Tuinstra, Brian Thomas, Steven Robinson, Krzysztof Pawlak, Gazmend Elezi, Kym Francis Faull and Stephen Taylor, 17 January 2025, Analytical Chemistry.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c03115

[frank ballenger]

RE: I had In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida on 8-Track.

——————————————————————————Not that many years ago (4 maybe?) I was at a stoplight behind a Buick Apollo X-car and it had a bumper sticker:

This Is an X-Car
With An 8 Track Player.

Proud-—with good reason.

[Varda]

That’s what I was thinking. Isn’t this a 20 year old story?

[Jan_Sobieski]

Maybe 66 hundred.

Yep! Since the half life of carbon based cells is less than 10K years

[fishtank]

Do you remember when Picard quoted Gilgamesh in “Darmok”?

[Fuzz]

Shaka, when the walls fell.

[Getready]

...and non-life “finds a way” also?

[Getready]

But the hits keep coming....because it is becoming more acceptable to find biomolecules where they were supposed to have decomposed long ago. Not a fluke anymore.