Infrared spectromicroscopy coupled with X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis show evidence that vertebrate blood vessels from a 66-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex tibia may persist across geologic “deep time” through two natural, protein-fusing processes: Fenton chemistry and glycation. This work provides direct evidence how soft-tissue structures may be preserved in dinosaur bones—countering long-standing scientific dogma that protein-based body parts cannot survive more than 1 million years.
Visit https://phys.org/news/2019-11-mechanisms-soft-tissue-protein-tyrannosaurus.html and https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2020/02/14/dinosaur-blood-vessels/ for more information.