Scientists in Germany have discovered a way to identify the origin of mysterious fossilized bones, concluding that they belong to air-breathing, marine reptiles known as ichthyosaurs. By analyzing the microstructure of tissue in the fossilized jawbone, researchers were able to determine the animal group to which the bones belonged. This finding sheds light on the existence of these ancient giants and their size, ranging from a few feet to as long as a bus.
Mysterious fragments of fossilized bone proposed to be from a creature approaching the size of a blue whale could technically have been left by any one of a number of long-extinct giants.
Peering through a special microscope, paleontologists Marcello Perillo and Martin Sander, from the University of Bonn in Germany, have figured out a way to tell the difference. The microstructure of tissue in the fossilized jawbone, they say, is a dead giveaway."Osteohistology – the analysis of bone tissue – can thus be used to draw conclusions about the animal group from which the find originates.
Along with confirmed ichthyosaur bones, these 'mystery' jaws all showed long strands of fibrous collagen that were woven in a unique, shared pattern. This suggests they come from the same animal group.
Fossilized Bones Marine Reptiles Ichthyosaurs Microstructure Analysis Paleontology
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