Real-life Jurassic Park? Ancient rhino proteins unearthed
Scientists just extracted proteins from a 24-million-year-old rhino tooth found in the Canadian Arctic—the oldest protein data ever collected.
Thanks to the Arctic's cold, dry conditions, the tooth's enamel kept these proteins safe far longer than DNA usually lasts.
Study suggests major rhino lineages branched off between 41-25 million years ago
Tooth enamel acted like a "molecular vault," letting researchers recover seven ancient proteins and map out how different rhino families split apart over time.
The study suggests major rhino lineages branched off between 41 and 25 million years ago.
Researchers double-checked the protein's authenticity using chiral amino acid analysis
Researchers double-checked the protein's authenticity using chiral amino acid analysis, confirming these molecules really survived all those frozen millennia.
This could totally change what we know about evolution and even help us study dinosaur fossils in the near future.
Analysis on dino fossils next?
If scientists can pull off protein analysis on dino fossils next, we might soon get a clearer picture of ancient life—way beyond what bones alone can tell us.