Researchers analyzing the bone of an Aratasaurus museunacionali found mineralized structures resembling red blood cells and chemical traces of heme in Brazil.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
An international team of scientists has reported the discovery of mineralized structures resembling red blood cells and chemical traces of heme within the 115-million-year-old bone of a small theropod dinosaur.
The research, led by Prof Kliti Grice of Curtin University, focused on the hind leg bones of an Aratasaurus museunacionali, a small, meat-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now north-eastern Brazil. The specimen, which was approximately 3.1 metres in length and weighed 34 kilograms, was a juvenile roughly four years old. The remains were discovered in a mine in 2008 and are held in the National Museum of Brazil.
Using electron microscopy, researchers identified small, round structures in fine channels where blood vessels once ran. Chemical analysis via high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry identified the presence of heme, the organic compound that allows haemoglobin in blood to carry oxygen around the body. The team also detected traces of hydroxyproline, an amino acid associated with collagen.
Researchers suggest the exceptional preservation may have resulted from the dinosaur being rapidly buried in a low-oxygen, microbially rich environment. They propose that a manganese compound called hausmannite, which formed in and around the cells, may have stabilized the structures prior to fossilization.
To ensure the heme originated from the dinosaur rather than the surrounding environment, the team analyzed the surrounding rock. While the rock contained signatures of chlorophyll and bacteriochlorophyll, the bone extracts were found to be overwhelmingly heme-related.
The findings have prompted discussion within the scientific community. Prof Mary Schweitzer of North Carolina State University expressed doubt regarding the identification of the structures as red blood cells, noting that the structures found were concave, whereas dinosaur red blood cells should have a "nuclear bulge" making them appear dome-like on both sides. However, Schweitzer noted that the discovery of heme and collagen amino acids suggests there is much more to learn from well-preserved fossils.
Other researchers have noted that the structures appear rounder and wider than those of living birds and crocodilians. Additionally, the study does not claim to have recovered DNA; Prof Grice stated, "The aim isn’t to find Jurassic Park DNA, it’s to determine how much genuine molecular information deep time can preserve."
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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