Liverpool researchers detect collagen in 66-million-year-old dinosaur fossil
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University of Liverpool researchers detected remnants of collagen in a 66-million-year-old Edmontosaurus hip bone from South Dakota's Hell Creek Formation. The fossil, a 22-kilogram sacrum, is part of the university's collections and yielded molecular signatures associated with the structural protein collagen. The findings appear in Analytical Chemistry.
Key Facts
- The study appears in Analytical Chemistry.
- Researchers used protein sequencing and mass spectrometry to search for molecular signatures associated with collagen.
- The Edmontosaurus sacrum was excavated from Upper Cretaceous rock layers in the Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota.
- Professor Steve Taylor said the finding refutes the hypothesis that any organics found in fossils must result from contamination.
- Taylor called for revisiting cross-polarized light microscopy images of fossil bones collected over a century.
Collagen Detection in Hell Creek Fossil
Researchers at the University of Liverpool analysed an Edmontosaurus sacrum excavated from Upper Cretaceous rock layers in South Dakota's Hell Creek Formation. The results were published in Analytical Chemistry. The fossil weighs 22 kilograms and is part of the university's collections. The team used protein sequencing and mass spectrometry to identify molecular signatures associated with collagen, the major structural protein in bone. Collagen remnants were detected in the hip bone of the duck-billed dinosaur.
Implications for Fossil Protein Debate
Professor Steve Taylor, chair of the Mass Spectrometry Research Group at the University of Liverpool's Department of Electrical Engineering & Electronics, said the finding refutes the hypothesis that any organics found in fossils must result from contamination. The University of Liverpool-led study adds new evidence to a scientific debate that has continued for about 30 years. Taylor called for revisiting cross-polarized light microscopy images of fossil bones collected over a century.
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Liverpool researchers detect collagen in 66-million-year-old dinosaur fossil
