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Scientists Find Soft Tissue in T-Rex Fossil

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the and-it-actually-tasted-like-chicken dept.

douglips writes "Reuters is running a story about a shocking development in paleontology: A T-Rex thigh bone fossil was reluctantly broken to fit in a transport helicopter, and inside soft tissue was found. It appears to include blood vessels and bone cells. Scientists hope to isolate proteins, and perhaps even DNA."

3 of 978 comments (clear)

  1. Precedent by BWJones · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is not the first identification of soft protein laden tissue that has been extracted from dinosaur tissue as Mary Schweitzer at North Carolina State University has extracted these tissues from other tissues as well, so there is a precedent.

    Of course getting actual DNA from these tissues will be a long shot due to its fragile nature, but protein sequence may prove very informative in letting us define exactly where genetic lineages have gone over evolution.

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    1. Re:Precedent by mapmaker · · Score: 5, Informative
      Mary Schweitzer is the scientist in both of these stories. Seems she's got a knack for finding fossilized soft tissue.

      This T-Rex tissue is apparently a bigger deal than the fossilized egg contents she found previously though. From TFA:

      "Preservation of this extent, where you still have this flexibility and transparency, has never been seen in a dinosaur before." Feathers, hair and fossilized egg contents yes, but not truly soft tissue.

  2. MSNBC has pictures of the meat by circletimessquare · · Score: 5, Informative

    meaty goodness

    in my professional paleontological opinion (not), it needs a nice marinade

    fre up the BBQ, lets see what T Rex tastes like

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