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Researchers have identified molecular remnants of collagen, a structural protein found in bone, within a 66-million-year-old Edmontosaurus fossil recovered from South Dakota. The detection was performed using mass spectrometry and protein sequencing, representing methodologically rigorous approaches to biomolecular analysis. These findings challenge the prevailing assumption in paleontology that organic molecules cannot survive the fossilization process over geological timescales.
Why it matters
If confirmed and reproduced, the preservation of original proteins in dinosaur fossils could open new avenues for studying the evolutionary relationships between dinosaurs and modern animals, including birds. It may also prompt a reassessment of how fossilization alters or preserves biological material at the molecular level.
Scientists have uncovered compelling evidence that dinosaur fossils may still contain traces of their original proteins, overturning a long-standing belief that fossilization destroys all organic material. In a remarkably well-preserved Edmontosaurus fossil from South Dakota, researchers detected remnants of collagen — the main protein found in bone — using advanced techniques including mass spectrometry and protein sequencing.
Source: Paleontology rocked by discovery of organic molecules in 66-million-year-old dinosaur bones