Recently I received an article in an email from a colleague about soft tissue from a dinosaur. I know, can you believe it? I couldn't.
Earlier in 2006 a Tyrannosaurus rex femur (thigh bone) was recovered from Montana. The 70 million year old fossil was found to have soft tissue within it. Somehow the soft tissue had resisted fossilization. It is said the tissue includes blood vessels, bone cells and possibly blood cells. As to whether or not DNA can be extracted is yet to be determined. The likely hood of DNA surviving is extremely rare.
The article is from the California Academy of Sciences, Science Now and I would encourage you to have a look. Images of the soft tissue are available at the site.
http://www.calacademy.org/science_now/headline_science/T-rex_soft_tissue.html
Earlier in 2006 a Tyrannosaurus rex femur (thigh bone) was recovered from Montana. The 70 million year old fossil was found to have soft tissue within it. Somehow the soft tissue had resisted fossilization. It is said the tissue includes blood vessels, bone cells and possibly blood cells. As to whether or not DNA can be extracted is yet to be determined. The likely hood of DNA surviving is extremely rare.
The article is from the California Academy of Sciences, Science Now and I would encourage you to have a look. Images of the soft tissue are available at the site.
http://www.calacademy.org/science_now/headline_science/T-rex_soft_tissue.html
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