Mitchell Jerit L, Barbi Mauricio, McKellar Ryan C, Cliveti Monica, Coulson Ian M
Department of Physics, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 0A2, Canada.
Royal Saskatchewan Museum, 2445 Albert St., Regina, S4P 4W7, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 4;15(1):20327. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-06981-z.
Soft tissue preservation in fossils has become a popular focus of paleontology research due to easier access to sensitive probes like synchrotron radiation, allowing more detailed analysis of specimens. Although uncommon, reports exist on vascular preservation in dinosaurs, generally as remnants of Haversian canals. However, combined 3D morphological and chemical analysis of large angiogenic dinosaur blood vessels has not been reported before. Here we show characterization of a network of large vessel-like structures in a rib from "RSKM P2523.8" (Royal Saskatchewan Museum), an exceptionally robust Tyrannosaurus rex found in the Late Cretaceous Frenchman Formation, Saskatchewan, Canada. Using Synchrotron Micro-Computed Tomography these structures can be visualized in situ within the bone and matched to chemical microprobing from Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence and X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure. Combined with conventional optical and electron microscopy, we show the vessel-like structures are composed of pyrite partially oxidized to goethite or hematite, preserved in two distinct layers as permineralized casts. Although no original soft tissues were able to be recovered using the current suite of techniques, the structures' morphology and sole presence in a fractured area of the rib suggest angiogenic origin. Bone healing and regrowth may offer a promising target for future multi-technique soft tissue experiments analyzing dinosaur healing potential.
由于能够更方便地使用同步加速器辐射等灵敏探测手段,从而可以对标本进行更详细的分析,化石中的软组织保存已成为古生物学研究的一个热门焦点。虽然恐龙血管保存的报道并不常见,通常是哈弗斯管的残余物,但此前尚未有对大型恐龙血管进行三维形态和化学分析相结合的报道。在此,我们展示了对来自“RSKM P2523.8”(皇家萨斯喀彻温博物馆)肋骨中大型血管状结构网络的特征描述,这是在加拿大萨斯喀彻温省晚白垩世法国人组发现的一具异常粗壮的霸王龙化石。利用同步加速器微计算机断层扫描技术,这些结构可以在骨骼内部原位可视化,并与同步加速器X射线荧光和X射线吸收近边结构的化学微探针分析结果相匹配。结合传统光学和电子显微镜观察,我们发现这些血管状结构由部分氧化成针铁矿或赤铁矿的黄铁矿组成,以矿化铸型的形式保存在两个不同的层中。尽管使用当前的技术套件无法找回原始软组织,但这些结构的形态以及仅存在于肋骨骨折区域这一情况表明其起源于血管生成。骨愈合和再生可能为未来分析恐龙愈合潜力的多技术软组织实验提供一个有前景的研究目标。
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