Ancient proteins found preserved in dinosaur feather fossil
Traces of ancient proteins preserved in dinosaur fossil feathers have provided fresh insights into feather evolution.
Paleontologists from the University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland studied ancient feathers that are 125 million years old, originating from the dinosaur species Sinornithosaurus and the early bird Confuciusornis. Additionally, they analyzed a 50-million-year-old feather fossil discovered in the United States.
Sinornithosaurus is a small, feathered dinosaur that lived during the early Cretaceous period. Confuciusornis is considered one of the earliest birds in the avian fossil record.
X-ray analysis of feather fossils
As per the official release, previous research had indicated that fossilized dinosaur feathers displayed a composition distinct from the feathers of present-day birds.
The researchers meticulously studied the feather’s composition using modern X-ray methods for this new study.
The latest evaluation showcased that the protein composition observed in modern feathers also existed in dinosaur and early bird feathers.
This confirms that the chemical makeup of feathers goes back much further in time than previously believed.
“It’s really exciting to discover new similarities between dinosaurs and birds,” said Slater Tiffany, one of the study authors. “To do this, we developed a new method to detect traces of ancient feather proteins. Using X-rays and infrared light we found that feathers from the dinosaur Sinornithosaurus contained lots of beta-proteins, just like feathers of birds today.”
The researchers conducted a series of tests to determine how feather proteins degrade over time during the fossilization process to better comprehend the chemical information in the feathers.
“Modern bird feathers are rich in beta-proteins that help strengthen feathers for flight. Previous tests on dinosaur feathers, though, found mostly alpha-proteins. Our experiments can now explain this weird chemistry as the result of protein degradation during the fossilization process. So although some fossil feathers do preserve traces of the original beta-proteins, other fossil feathers are damaged and tell us a false narrative about feather evolution,” added Slater.
Furthermore, the findings of this new experiment contribute to the current debate over whether feather proteins can survive for long periods in the fossil record.
“Traces of ancient biomolecules can clearly survive for millions of years, but you can’t read the fossil record literally because even seemingly well-preserved fossil tissues have been cooked and squashed during fossilization. We’re developing new tools to understand what happens during fossilization and unlock the chemical secrets of fossils. This will give us exciting new insights into the evolution of important tissues and their biomolecules,” said Prof. Maria McNamara, senior author of this new study.
Source: Interesting Engineering
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Ancient proteins found preserved in dinosaur feather fossil