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A Biology study found that new soft tissue analysis methods in dinosaur fossils may lead to new cancer discoveries.
Scientists from Anglia Ruskin University and Imperial College London used cutting edge paleoproteomic processes to study dinosaur fossils. This is a way that could help find molecular information in ancient samples.
During the examination of a Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus, a type of “marsh lizard” from the Hateg Basin in Romania, researchers found red blood cell-like components in a fossil.
The fossilized bone’s low-density formations resembled erythrocytes, or red blood cells, according to the current study’s electron microscopy.
The results suggest that ancient remains might retain soft tissue and cellular components more often than previously expected.
Scientists hope to learn about past diseases like cancer by finding conserved proteins and biomarkers. This could influence future human treatments.
The new study emphasizes the importance of collecting and preserving fossilized soft tissue as opposed to dinosaur skeletons because molecular approaches will help researchers understand disease progression.
Another study found cancer in Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus, demonstrating its profound evolutionary origins.
Due to their extended lifespans and huge bodies, dinosaurs make a good model for studying cancer susceptibility and resistance across millions of years.
Proteins are more stable than DNA and less prone to breakdown and harm, especially in calcified tissues like bone. They are helpful for examining paleontological remains of old diseases like cancer.
Molecular information provided by proteins in soft tissues, as opposed to skeletal structures alone, can shed light on the basic causes of disease.
The study opens the door to more investigation, which may lead to findings that help people in the future. However, long-term fossil preservation programs must be organized to guarantee future researchers have specimens suitable for cutting-edge molecular studies.
Sources:
Pramodh Chitral Chandrasinghe et al. (2025). Preserving Fossilized Soft Tissues: Advancing Proteomics and Unveiling the Evolutionary History of Cancer in Dinosaurs, Biology. DOI: 10.3390/biology14040370
Dinosaurs could hold key to cancer discoveries: Study highlights importance of preserving fossilized soft tissues. https://phys.org/news/2025-05-dinosaurs-key-cancer-discoveries-highlights.html
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