Dinosaur Blood: The Search & What It Means | IFLScience
In 2007, paleontologist Mary Schweitzer extracted proteins from the femur of a Tyrannosaurus rex fossil discovered in Montana’s Hell Creek Formation, a finding that ignited a decades-long quest to understand the preservation of ancient biomolecules and, potentially, the possibility of recovering even more fragile remnants of prehistoric life.
Schweitzer, based at North Carolina State University, first identified and isolated soft tissues – specifically collagen, a connective protein – from the fossil bone. Subsequent amino acid sequencing of samples revealed matches with collagens found in modern animals like chickens, frogs, and newts. This discovery, initially met with skepticism, spurred further research into molecular paleontology, molecular diagenesis, and taphonomy – the study of how organisms decay and become fossilized.
The initial T. Rex specimen, designated MOR 1125, was unearthed after a two-year retrieval process led by Jack Horner, director of the Museum of the Rockies. Schweitzer’s work on this fossil also revealed evidence suggesting the animal was pregnant at the time of its death. Her research extends beyond dinosaurs, encompassing the evolution of physiological and reproductive strategies in dinosaurs and their avian descendants, as well as astrobiology.
Prior to the protein extraction, in 2000, Bob Harmon, chief preparator at the Museum of the Rockies, initially discovered the Tyrannosaurus skeleton. Schweitzer’s 2006 publication in the Proceedings of the Biological Sciences detailed the discovery of soft tissues and cell-like microstructures within the dinosaur bone, comprised of flexible bone matrix, transparent blood vessels, intravascular material resembling red blood cells, and osteocytes containing intracellular contents.
The preservation of these tissues, dating back 68 million years, was unexpected, challenging conventional understanding of fossilization processes. Schweitzer’s ongoing research at North Carolina State University continues to investigate the mechanisms behind this preservation, focusing on how soft tissues can survive for such extended periods within skeletal elements. She currently researches molecular paleontology, molecular diagenesis and taphonomy, evolution of physiological and reproductive strategies in dinosaurs and their bird descendants, and astrobiology.
Schweitzer earned a B.S. In Communicative Disorders from Utah State University in 1977 and a Ph.D. In Biology from Montana State University in 1995, under the mentorship of Jack Horner. She also holds a Certificate of Secondary Education in Broadfield Science from Montana State University, obtained in 1988.