Can you get organic compounds in a fossilized ivory ? There was a time we thought not , but a new study that used a novel combining of technique has provided the best evidence yet for collagen within dinosaur remains . So , the question becomes , what else could we find ?
“ This enquiry depict beyond dubiety that constitutive biomolecules , such as protein like collagen , appear to be present in some fossils , ” said Professor Steve Taylor , chair of the Mass Spectrometry Research Group at the University of Liverpool ’s Department of Electrical Engineering & Electronics , in astatement .
In what ’s being described as a “ groundbreaking ” achievement by the University of Liverpool , a team of scientists used protein sequence and aggregated spectrometry among other techniques to contemplate a sizeable sacrum bone weigh around 22 kilo ( 49 Syrian pound ) that would ’ve sat in the pelvic domain of duck’s egg - billedEdmontosaurusdinosaurs .
The Edmontosaurus sacrum.Image credit: L Tuinstra et al, 2025 Analytical Chemistry (CC BY 4.0)
The fogey was retrieved from the Upper Cretaceous zona of theHell Creek Formationin Harding County , South Dakota , and dates back around 66 million years . A essential step in the new methodological analysis used to consider it was tandem aggregative spectroscopic analysis that could find and quantify hydroxyproline , an amino acid that ’s specific to collagen when found in bone . It marked the first time such a proficiency has been used to search for the protein indinosaur clappers .
“ Our outcome have far - reach implication , ” added Taylor . “ Firstly , it controvert the possibility that any organic fertilizer chance in fossils must result from contamination . ”
“ Secondly , it advise that cross - polarized weak microscopy image of fossil os , roll up for a century , should be revisited . These mental image may reveal entire fleck of bone collagen , potentially offering a ready - made treasure trove of fossil candidates for further protein analysis . This could unlock new insight into dinosaurs – for illustration reveal connections between dinosaur species that remain nameless . ”
“ Lastly , the findings inform the intriguing mystery of how these proteins have managed to hang on in fossil for so long . ”
It ’s not the first time that collagen has been institute in a dinosaur os . The protein has also been identified in another hadrosaur , aT. rex , and aLufengosauruswith collagen that had been maintain for195 million years . The researchers note that theEdmontosaurussample shows identical collagen peptide sequences to those identified in the hadrosaurs andT. rex .
Armed with the strong evidence yet that dinosaur protein can hold out to mod day , this hunk of sacrum has a spate to teach us about the biomolecular decomposition that occurs during fossilization . Excitingly , it enkindle question about what else we could take out from ancient dodo , open up new avenues for probe .
And we know what you ’re thinking – does that mean we can haveJurassic Park ?
The study is published inAnalytical Chemistry .
