Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by Fnord666 on Saturday December 10 2016, @05:31AM   Printer-friendly
from the too-bad-it-wasn't-the-jurassic-period dept.

The tail of a sparrow-sized feathered dinosaur has been found preserved in a 99-million-year-old piece of amber:

The one-of-a-kind discovery helps put flesh on the bones of these extinct creatures, opening a new window on the biology of a group that dominated Earth for more than 160 million years. Examination of the specimen suggests the tail was chestnut brown on top and white on its underside. The tail is described in the journal Current Biology [open, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.10.008] [DX]. "This is the first time we've found dinosaur material preserved in amber," co-author Ryan McKellar, of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Canada, told the BBC News website.

[...] Dr McKellar said there are signs the dinosaur still contained fluids when it was incorporated into the tree resin that eventually formed the amber. This indicates that it could even have become trapped in the sticky substance while it was still alive. Co-author Prof Mike Benton, from the University of Bristol, added: "It's amazing to see all the details of a dinosaur tail - the bones, flesh, skin, and feathers - and to imagine how this little fellow got his tail caught in the resin, and then presumably died because he could not wrestle free." Examination of the chemistry of the tail where it was exposed at the surface of the amber even shows up traces of ferrous iron, a relic of the blood that was once in the sample.

At the National Geographic site we find:

The tail of a 99-million-year-old dinosaur, including bones, soft tissue, and even feathers, has been found preserved in amber, according to a report published today in the journal Current Biology.

While individual dinosaur-era feathers have been found in amber, and evidence for feathered dinosaurs is captured in fossil impressions, this is the first time that scientists are able to clearly associate well-preserved feathers with a dinosaur, and in turn gain a better understanding of the evolution and structure of dinosaur feathers.

The research, led by paleontologist Lida Xing of the China University of Geosciences, was funded in part by the National Geographic Society's Expeditions Council.

The NY Times added the following:

"When it hit my desk, I was blown away," Dr. Ryan McKellar said. "It's one of those things where you're like 'Wow, it's the closest you'll ever get to holding a fleshed-out dinosaur in your hands.'"

Also at Smithsonian, NPR, Reuters, and the University of Bristol.


Original Submission #1Original Submission#2Original Submission #3

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2) by tisI on Saturday December 10 2016, @03:40PM

    by tisI (5866) on Saturday December 10 2016, @03:40PM (#439701)

    I bet hollywood can show them how to turn the DNA in there into T-Rexes, Velociraptors, and all other forms of scary shit.

    The fun part will be when they escape containment and run through the halls of congress by some freak accident.

    Yes! What a day that will be.

    --
    "Suppose you were an idiot...and suppose you were a member of Congress...but I repeat myself."
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 2) by darkfeline on Saturday December 10 2016, @09:46PM

    by darkfeline (1030) on Saturday December 10 2016, @09:46PM (#439811) Homepage

    Unfortunately, I don't think T-rexs and velociraptors are a match for your local heavily armed SWAT team.

    --
    Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!