Soft-Tissue Vessels and Cellular Preservation in Tyrannosaurus rex

2005/03/24 by Mary H. Schweitzer, Jennifer L. Wittmeyer, John R. Horner +1 · 10 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Ichthyology and Marine Biology

paper · doi:10.1126/science.1108397

openalex publication_date 2005/03/24 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

Soft tissues are preserved within hindlimb elements of Tyrannosaurus rex (Museum of the Rockies specimen 1125). Removal of the mineral phase reveals transparent, flexible, hollow blood vessels containing small round microstructures that can be expressed from the vessels into solution. Some regions of the demineralized bone matrix are highly fibrous, and the matrix possesses elasticity and resilience. Three populations of microstructures have cell-like morphology. Thus, some dinosaurian soft tissues may retain some of their original flexibility, elasticity, and resilience.

Citations

• Two feathered dinosaurs from northeastern China
• Blood vessels and red blood cells preserved in dinosaur bones
• Bone diagenesis: an overview of processes
• Fossilized theropod soft tissue

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• Magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging for the study of fossils
• Protein Sequences from Mastodon and Tyrannosaurus Rex Revealed by Mass Spectrometry
• Gender-Specific Reproductive Tissue in Ratites and Tyrannosaurus rex
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• Dinosaur [wikipedia]
• Fossil [wikipedia]
• Origin of birds [wikipedia]