PRESERVATION OF BIOMOLECULES IN CANCELLOUS BONE OF TYRANNOSAURUS REX

An exceptionally well preserved specimen of the tyrannosaurid dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex Osborn shows little evidence of permineralization o r other diagenetic effects. It appears that the cancellous bone tissue s of the specimen may have been protected from water infiltration or m ineral deposition by the very dense cortical bone which surrounds them . The cancellous tissues provided an opportunity to test the hypothesi s that indigenous biomolecules might be preserved over the course of m illions of years under the appropriate conditions. HPLC analysis of ex tracts from the bone tissues revealed the presence of molecules with l ight absorbance maxima consistent with nucleic acids and peptides/prot eins. Analyses of bone extracts for amino acid content yielded ratios similar to those found for modern ostrich and horse bone. A high molar glycine ratio and the presence of hydroxylysine peaks in bony tissue samples from the T. rex suggests the presence of collagen type I remna nts. Results indicate that the analyzed tissue contains numerous biomo lecules. While some of the biomolecules are most likely contaminants, the probable presence of collagen type I suggests that some molecules of dinosaurian origin remain in these tissues.