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Discovery of dinosaur red blood cell traces

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2026-11-07 08:26 UTC → 2026-11-08 00:42 UTC · added ~~removed~~

An international research team, led by scientists from Curtin University, has identified fossilized red blood cell traces in a 115-million-year-old bone from a juvenile Aratasaurus museunacionali, a carnivorous theropod from northeastern Brazil. Using microscopy and mass spectrometry, researchers identified oval microstructures in fossilized vascular canals and detected chemical signatures of heme, the iron-containing component of hemoglobin. This discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides evidence of biological molecules surviving much longer than previously assumed. Researchers describe this as the most compelling evidence to date of fossilized red blood cells, as the chemical confirmation of heme distinguishes the find from previous studies that only identified structures resembling cells without chemical proof. ~~Researchers believe the~~ In addition to heme, researchers detected amino acids associated with collagen. The exceptional preservation was likely caused by rapid burial in a low-oxygen environment, where the mineral ~~hausmannite~~ hausmannite, a manganese oxide, acted as a natural time capsule to stabilize the structures. Lead researcher Kliti Grice described the find as a landmark discovery that offers a molecular window into the physiology of extinct animals. While the find does not include liquid blood or DNA, the team intends to use these findings to explore the limits of molecular preservation in other prehistoric specimens.

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