By Salma El-Sakka
An international team of scientists has identified fossilized red blood cells in the bones of a 115-million-year-old dinosaur, marking what researchers call a landmark discovery in molecular paleontology.
Discovery in Brazil
The juvenile Aratasaurus bones were unearthed in a gypsum mine in Ceará state, northeastern Brazil, in 2008 and have been held at the National Museum of Brazil for further study.
Chemical Evidence of Ancient Biology
Study co-author Kliti Grice, a chemist at Curtin University in Australia, said the team detected intact heme-derived molecules within the microscopic structures, providing chemical evidence of their biological origin despite the immense geological time.
Implications for Molecular Preservation
The findings challenge long-held assumptions that biomolecules such as hemoglobin cannot survive deep time, potentially extending the fossil record of blood and offering a direct molecular window into dinosaur physiology and metabolism.
Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration
Professor Martin Van Kranendonk, head of the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, emphasized that coordinated efforts across institutions and continents unlocked extraordinary insights into ancient life.
