Heme Molecules Confirmed in 115-Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Red Blood Cells via Hausmannite Mineralization
115-million-year-old heme molecules were chemically verified inside dinosaur red blood cells for the first time. Mineral stabilization under rapid anoxic burial explains survival of otherwise labile compounds. The finding expands the temporal window for detectable biomolecules and directs future paleontological sampling strategies.
Future work should apply the same extraction and isotopic protocols to additional theropod and ornithischian bones from the Araripe Basin and equivalent deposits. If replicated, the approach could supply direct physiological data on dinosaur oxygen transport and enable refined models of biomolecule stability on Earth and Mars. The key limitation remains single-specimen sampling; multi-taxa surveys with blinded controls are required to establish prevalence.
Sources (3)
- [1]Primary Source(https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2412345122)
- [2]Supporting Source(https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-017-0191-4)
- [3]Supporting Source(https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aam8645)