Breakthrough in Fossil Research
A team of researchers has identified chemical traces of collagen in a 73-million-year-old duck-billed dinosaur fossil, challenging the long-standing belief that organic material in ancient fossils must stem from contamination. The discovery, published in Analytical Chemistry, provides strong evidence that some fossils still contain remnants of original biomolecules, a claim that has sparked intense debate in the scientific community.
“This research shows beyond doubt that organic biomolecules, such as proteins like collagen, appear to be present in some fossils,” said Steve Taylor, a materials scientist from the University of Liverpool. The team’s findings contradict the prevailing assumption that proteins in fossils should have been entirely replaced by minerals during the fossilization process. If confirmed, this discovery could reshape the way scientists study dinosaur remains and evolutionary links between species.
A Remarkable Fossil Discovery
The fossil in question, a well-preserved sacrum (butt bone), was excavated in 2019 from the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota. It belonged to an Edmontosaurus, a massive plant-eating dinosaur that lived alongside Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops during the late Cretaceous period. These dinosaurs, reaching up to 12 meters (39 feet) in length, were among the last non-avian dinosaurs to roam the Earth.
While previous studies have suggested the presence of collagen in dinosaur fossils—such as a hadrosaur leg bone in 2009 and a T. rex arm bone in 2007—many scientists remained skeptical. To confirm their findings, lead researcher Lucien Tuinstra and his colleagues at the University of Liverpool employed three independent techniques, including cross-polarized light microscopy. Their analysis detected short sequences of hydroxyproline, a key component of collagen, at very low concentrations—levels consistent with ancient, degraded proteins rather than modern contamination.
Implications for Paleontology
The discovery has far-reaching consequences for the study of dinosaur fossils. Taylor suggests that cross-polarized light microscopy images of fossils, some collected over a century ago, should be revisited, as they might contain overlooked traces of original collagen. “These images may reveal intact patches of bone collagen, potentially offering a ready-made trove of fossil candidates for further protein analysis,” he explained.
To rule out the possibility of contamination, the team also compared their findings with artificially aged collagen samples from modern turkey and cattle using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. No similarities were found, further supporting the claim that the detected proteins originated from the Edmontosaurus itself.
The presence of ancient proteins in dinosaur fossils raises new questions about how such biomolecules have managed to survive for millions of years. If further studies confirm these findings, they could provide groundbreaking insights into dinosaur biology, evolution, and even the connections between different species.
