Oldest Dinosaur Protein Found -- Blood Vessels, More

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Oldest Dinosaur Protein Found -- Blood Vessels, More

May 1, 2009

The fossilized leg of an 80-million-year-old duck-billed dinosaur has yielded the oldest known proteins preserved in soft tissue—including blood vessels and other connective tissue as well as perhaps blood cell proteins—a new study says.

"It was not a one-hit wonder," said John Asara of Harvard Medical School, who led the protein-sequence analysis.

Well-Preserved Dinosaur

The proteins were recovered from a hadrosaur femur that had been encased in sandstone, which appears to prevent complete tissue degradation, Asara said.

Preliminary microscopic analysis revealed structures resembling blood vessels, cells, and collagen, he noted.

Those initial speculations were confirmed by applying antibodies to the tissue that are known to react with proteins. The tests suggested the presence of collagen and other proteins, including hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells.

Dinosaur Blood Cells?

The hints of hemoglobin remain speculative and are not covered in the new, peer-reviewed study, which appears in today's issue of the ...

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http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090501-oldest-dinosaur-proteins.html

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090501-oldest-dinosaur-proteins.html