Mummified dinosaur skin yields up new secrets

Scientists from The University of Manchester have identified preserved organic molecules in the skin of a dinosaur that died around 66-million years ago. The well-preserved fossil of the plant-eating hadrosaur th known as "Dakota' th has been analysed by researchers writing in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

(Media-Newswire.com) - Scientists from The University of Manchester have identified preserved organic molecules in the skin of a dinosaur that died around 66-million years ago.
The well-preserved fossil of the plant-eating hadrosaur – known as ‘Dakota’ – has been analysed by researchers writing in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

The team report how the fossil's soft tissues were spared from decay by fine sediments that formed a mineral cast.

A wide range of tests have shown that the fossil still holds cell-like structures, although the constituent proteins have decayed.

Advanced imaging and chemical techniques have revealed that the mummified duckbilled dinosaur had two layers of skin – just like the skin of modern birds and reptiles, which scientists believe are closely related to duckbilled dinosaurs.

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