Slashdot Mirror


Soft Tissue Discovered In T-Rex Bone

kubla2000 writes, "Paleontologists have discovered soft tissue inside the fossilized thigh bone of a T-Rex. The tissue included blood vessels, bone cells, and perhaps even blood cells." From the article: "When paleontologists find fossilized dinosaur bones during a dig, they usually do everything in their power to protect them, using tools like toothbrushes to carefully unearth the bones without inflicting any damage. However, when scientists found a massive Tyrannosaurus rex thigh bone in a remote region of Montana a few months ago, they were forced to break the bone in two in order to fit it into the transport helicopter. This act of necessity revealed a startling surprise: soft tissue that had seemingly resisted fossilization still existed inside the bone. This tissue... was so well preserved that it was still stretchy and flexible."

1 of 345 comments (clear)

  1. Why you gotta bring up old shit? by nickmo · · Score: 0, Redundant

    this was posted in March of 2005 on the BBC news page

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4379577. stm