66-million-year-old monster 'shakes up paleontology'

(NLDO) - A groundbreaking study led by the University of Liverpool (UK) has found an unbelievable treasure in the fossil of the Edmontosaurus monster.

According to SciTech Daily , scientists have long believed that fossils of prehistoric beasts have completely lost their original organic material, which could provide a treasure trove of genetics.

But a remarkable discovery inside an Edmontosaurus fossil unearthed in the US has ended a three-decade debate.

Fossilized bones of the 66-million-year-old Edmontosaurus monster - Photo: LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY

Fossilization is a long-term process in which minerals gradually enter the animal's body, replacing organic materials.

So the fossilized skeletons of dinosaurs tens, hundreds of millions of years old that we find today are not actually bones, but a stone copy of those bones.

However, new research published in the journal Analytical Chemistry used a number of techniques, including protein sequencing, to detect and characterize bone collagen in the 22-kilogram fossil of a 66-million-year-old beast.

It is a part of the hip bone of a duck-billed dinosaur of the genus Edmontosaurus, excavated from the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota - USA, currently kept in the collection of the University of Liverpool.

The remains of collagen in the fossilized bones of this beast are a huge treasure, described as "rocking paleontology".

Because if this organic material exists inside this fossil, then so do other dinosaur fossils around the world.

The only thing needed was advanced technology to identify those biological remnants, which we can do today.

The team also carefully tested the hypothesis that the organic material in the fossil bones was due to pollution. The results showed that was not the case. The organic material was indeed from the beast.

Obtaining organic material means obtaining vital genetic clues to the beast.

Previously, paleontologists could only learn about the origins and relationships of dinosaurs through visual similarities and differences between fossils of the species.

"This discovery could open up new insights into dinosaurs, for example revealing relationships between previously unknown dinosaur species," the authors said.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/quai-thu-66-trieu-tuoi-lam-rung-chuyen-co-sinh-vat-hoc-196250216091429073.htm