Organic Collagen Found in Dinosaur Fossil Upends Everything Paleontologists Know of Fossilization
This dinosaur fossil is poised to change everything paleontologists know about fossilization. The fossil in question contains a protein, which, as per all past examinations and assertions, should not have been there, as reported by the Daily Galaxy. Experts have discovered an organic element in a 70-million-year-old Edmontosaurus fossil, which should have disintegrated a long time ago, per the fossilization principles known to researchers. But surprisingly, the protein remains safely harbored in the fossil, indicating that, for some reason, the protein did not disintegrate and was eventually replaced by minerals. If this happened in the Edmontosaurus fossil, then other fossils could also exhibit the same. This possibility can change the way experts analyze fossils in the future. The unique discovery has been detailed in the journal Analytical Chemistry.
Collagen in the Edmontosaurus fossil
The fossil was unearthed from the Hell Creek formation in South Dakota. Further examinations identified it as an Edmontosaurus, a large species of herbivorous dinosaur that lived in the late Cretaceous period. Researchers were expecting to extract minerals from the remains, as fossilization typically destroys all the biological components of a dead life form. To their surprise, they discovered collagen in the sacrum of the Edmontosaurus. Collagen is an organic protein generated by the body to maintain the structure of connective tissue. The present techniques of fossil analysis have not accounted for organic proteins. This discovery can bring a change to the techniques used and help in bringing new methods for better examination.
Implications of the Findings
To detect the collagen, experts used techniques such as advanced mass spectrometry and protein sequencing in the study, according to the University of Liverpool. Researchers believe that the collagen present in the 22-kilogram fossils indicates that whatever has been asserted about the biochemical preservation of fossils belonging to extinct species should be revisited. Professor Steve Taylor, chair of the Mass Spectrometry Research Group at the University of Liverpool’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics, claims that the discovery shows that biomolecules like collagen can survive the ravages of time, rejecting the past assertions made about the protein in regards to fossilization.
In the past, during similar findings, other experts claimed that the presence of organic material was due to contamination. Taylor assured this was not the case with the collagen, as the organic protein had been in a well-preserved structure when found in South Dakota. He suggested that other experts analyze the cross-polarized light microscopy images of ancient fossil bones to detect any organic protein in them. The more protein researchers can analyze, the more chances they will have for understanding any hidden secrets of dinosaurs and even other ancient species. Taylor believed a larger database would also help them learn how these proteins managed to survive.
Other similar findings
In the past, collagen had also been detected in dinosaur fossils that were around 195 million years old, according to MIT News. The discovery created a massive uproar as the collagen had survived over 1,000 years, which is the expected life of the peptide bonds in the protein. Upon analysis, a team of researchers concluded that the collagen survived because it has a special atomic-level interaction, preventing it from disintegrating by water. Hydrolysis, a major process by which the collagen gets broken down in fossilization, is rendered useless by the special atomic interaction. The whole phenomenon was explained within the journal ACS Central Science.