Scientists discover possible fossilised red blood cells in 115-million-year-old dinosaur bones
Consensus Summary
The study’s implications extend beyond this single specimen, with researchers planning to apply similar techniques to other fossils. Grice suggests that museums may hold untapped molecular information in their collections, while Schweitzer warns against overinterpreting the findings until more evidence is gathered. The Guardian notes that the research does not support claims of Jurassic Park-style DNA recovery, but it does raise intriguing questions about how molecules evolve and degrade over geological time scales. As technology advances, paleontologists may uncover even more about the biology of extinct species, though the debate over the authenticity of these red blood cell-like structures is far from settled.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- The dinosaur fossil studied is *Aratasaurus museunacionali*, a theropod from the Early Cretaceous period.
- The fossilised bones were discovered in a mine in northeastern Brazil in 2008.
- Researchers found ellipsoid structures resembling red blood cells inside the bone’s vascular canals, measuring about 15 or so microns in size.
- The study detected traces of heme, a molecule in haemoglobin, within the bone’s microstructures.
- The dinosaur was estimated to be about 34 kilograms in weight and 3.1 metres long from head to tail.
- The fossil was found in the Romualdo Formation, a region known for exceptionally preserved fossils.
- The study was published in *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences* in 2026.
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- The dinosaur was estimated to be about four years old when it died.
- The bone was almost 80 per cent heme according to the researchers.
- Scientists are testing whether human blood can fossilise in microbial mats from Shark Bay, Western Australia.
- The Aratasaurus bones sampled included the femur, tibia, and foot.
- The study notes that stagnant waters in the Romualdo Formation may have limited oxygen and slowed decomposition.
- The team found manganese oxides, including hausmannite, which may have helped stabilise the cells.
- The study references previous claims from the late 1990s of red blood cell-like structures in fossils.
- The Guardian describes the discovery as a 'world first' for finding heme in situ within a dinosaur fossil.
- The article mentions the presence of amino acid building blocks for collagen in the bone.
Where the reporting differs
Details that conflict, or appear in only some outlets:
- The ABC states the dinosaur was about four years old, while 7NEWS and the Guardian do not mention its age.
- The ABC and Guardian describe the structures as 'almost 80 per cent heme,' but 7NEWS does not quantify the heme concentration.
- The Guardian and 7NEWS emphasize the manganese compound hausmannite as a potential stabilizer, while ABC does not mention it.
Source Articles
Molecular traces from 'blood cells' found in 115-million-year-old dinosaur bones
The surprise discovery of an iron-carrying molecule preserved in the bones of a Brazilian dinosaur adds to research about soft tissues found in fossils that are millions of years old.
Aussie-led team of scientists find possible red blood cells fossilised in dinosaur bone
Traces of prehistoric blood could reveal unprecedented clues about dinosaur biology, but they have been notoriously difficult to confirm.
Fossilised red blood cells found in 115m-year-old dinosaur’s bone, say scientists
Chemical tests on Aratasaurus bone identify presence of heme, the organic compound that allows haemoglobin in blood to carry oxygen around body It could be the opening of a Jurassic Park rip-off: scientists examining ancient dinosaur bones find what appear to be fossilised red blood cells, and traces of the molecule that gives the beast’s blood its distinctive crimson hue. But that is what researchers are claiming to have discovered after analysing the hind leg bones of a small, meat-eating dino
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