Korneisel Dana E, Nesbitt Sterling J, Werning Sarah, Xiao Shuhai
Department of Geosciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA, United States of America.
Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, IA, United States of America.
PeerJ. 2021 Dec 16;9:e12651. doi: 10.7717/peerj.12651. eCollection 2021.
Red to red-orange spheres in the vascular canals of fossil bone thin sections have been repeatedly reported using light microscopy. Some of these have been interpreted as the fossilized remains of blood cells or, alternatively, pyrite framboids. Here, we assess claims of blood cell preservation within bones of the therizinosauroid theropod from the Jehol Lagerstätte. Using Raman spectroscopy, Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry, and Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy, we found evidence of high taphonomic alteration of the bone. We also found that the vascular canals in the bone, once purported to contain fossil red blood cell, are filled with a mix of clay minerals and carbonaceous compounds. The spheres could not be analyzed in isolation, but we did not find any evidence of pyrite or heme compounds in the vessels, surrounding bone, or matrix. However, we did observe similar spheres under light microscopy in petrified wood found in proximity to the dinosaur. Consequently, we conclude that the red spheres are most likely diagenetic structures replicated by the clay minerals present throughout the vascular canals.
利用光学显微镜，在化石骨薄片的血管管道中反复发现了红色至红橙色的球体。其中一些被解释为血细胞的化石遗迹，或者是黄铁矿莓球。在这里，我们评估了热河生物群镰刀龙类兽脚亚目恐龙骨骼中血细胞保存的说法。通过拉曼光谱、能量色散X射线光谱和飞行时间二次离子质谱分析，我们发现了骨骼高度埋藏改变的证据。我们还发现，曾经据称含有化石红细胞的骨骼血管管道中充满了粘土矿物和含碳化合物的混合物。这些球体无法单独分析，但我们在血管、周围骨骼或基质中未发现任何黄铁矿或血红素化合物的证据。然而，在恐龙附近发现的石化木材中，我们在光学显微镜下观察到了类似的球体。因此，我们得出结论，这些红色球体很可能是由遍布血管管道的粘土矿物复制而成的成岩结构。
