Paleontologists have uncovered evidence suggesting the presence of heme—a key component of hemoglobin—in the bones of a small carnivorous dinosaur, Aratasaurus, which roamed what is now northeastern Brazil over 100 million years ago. Chemical analysis detected traces of the molecule responsible for blood’s red color, hinting at the potential preservation of fossilized blood cells within the ancient bones. While the findings could spark comparisons to fictional depictions of dinosaur biology, researchers emphasize the scientific significance of identifying such organic compounds in prehistoric remains. The discovery raises intriguing questions about the preservation of soft tissues in fossils and what they might reveal about dinosaur physiology.
Chemical tests on Aratasaurus bone identify presence of heme, the organic compound that allows haemoglobin in blood to carry oxygen around bodyIt could be the opening of a Jurassic Park rip-off: scientists examining ancient dinosaur bones find what appear to be fossilised red blood cells, and traces of the molecule that gives the beast’s blood its distinctive crimson hue.But that is what researchers are claiming to have discovered after analysing the hind leg bones of a small, meat-eating dinosaur called an Aratasaurus that lived and died in what is now north-eastern Brazil 115m years ago. Continue reading...
