Dinosaur DNA and proteins found in fossils, paleontologists claim

Palaeontologists have announced the discovery of organic material in 75-million year old dinosaur fossils. The team claims to have found evidence of cartilage cells, proteins, chromosomes and even DNA preserved inside the fossils, suggesting these can survive for far longer than we thought.

The researchers, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and North Carolina State University, made the discovery in skull fragments of Hypacrosaurus, a duck-billed herbivore from the Cretaceous period. These particular specimens were “nestlings”, meaning that at time of death they weren’t yet old enough to leave the nest.

Inside the skull fragments, the team spotted evidence of extremely well-preserved cartilage cells. Two of them were still linked in a way that resembles the final stages of cell division, while another contained structures that look like chromosomes.

The next step was to check whether any original molecules or proteins could still be preserved, and to do so the team conducted two detailed analyses on other skulls from the same nesting ground, and compared the results to samples from young emu skulls that are (obviously) much more recent.

The first was an immunological test, which involves applying a substance that will react if it detects antibodies from a particular cell type. In this case, the test reacted to antibodies of Collagen II, a protein commonly found in the cartilage of animals. This, the team says, suggests that remnants of the original proteins are still present.

Terminal ignorance results from willingness to remain ignorant

61 posted on 03/05/2020 10:20:16 AM PST by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12) Progressives are existential American enemies)

I'm quite familiar with the scientific information, therefore I'm not "ignorant".

I simply don't buy the conclusions presented because they are NOT scientifically conclusive.

62 posted on 03/05/2020 10:33:29 AM PST by G Larry (There is no great virtue in bargaining with the Devil)

As the week winds down, it's nice to have a bloodbath topic to savor. :^) Not going to ping it though Speaking of bloodbaths, I swung by Costco yesterday, what lines, what piles of stuff, what a full and hazardous parking lot. This list hasn't apparently been updated in five years, but remained lurking on the hard drive.

63 posted on 03/12/2020 3:31:13 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)

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