Fossils may hold answers to cancer discoveries
Techniques used to examine soft tissue from dinosaur fossils could provide answers to new cancer discoveries, a study published in the journal Biology has found. Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Imperial College London researchers have analysed dinosaur fossils using advanced paleoproteomic techniques, a method that is valuable for uncovering molecular data from ancient remains.
The team discovered structures that resembled red blood cells while studying a Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus, a hadrosaur or duck-billed herbivore that lived in what is now Romania 66-70 million years ago. They used Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) techniques, allowing them to identify low-density structures that resemble red blood cells in the fossilised bones.
The findings could mean that soft tissue and cellular components are more likely to be preserved as fossils than previously thought. By identifying them, the team believe they can gain insight into diseases that afflicted prehistoric life, including cancer. This could potentially influence future treatment for humans.
The authors of the study emphasise the necessity of prioritising the collection and preservation of fossilised soft tissue, not just skeletons, because future advancements in molecular techniques will allow for a deeper look into the evolution of diseases.
“Our research, using relatively underused methods, invites further exploration that could hold the key to future discoveries that could benefit humans,” Senior author Justin Stebbing, Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University, said. “However, it is crucial that long-term fossil conservation efforts are co-ordinated to ensure that future researchers have access to specimens suitable for cutting-edge molecular investigations.”
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