Mystery of preserved T Rex tissue solved: High levels of iron in dinosaur’s body kept it intact

Tissue from the king of the dinosaurs survived for 68million years

Scientists were baffled when tissue was discovered inside fossilised leg

Research shows that high levels of iron act like formaldehyde

The mystery of how 68million-year-old Tyrannosaurus Rex tissue was preserved has been solved by scientists.



Researchers were baffled when matter from the king of the dinosaurs, with intact DNA was discovered in 2005.



It was thought that the existence of soft tissue, which was found inside the leg of an adolescent Tyrannosaurus unearthed in Montana was scientifically impossible.



But according to a newly published study, iron in the dinosaur's body preserved the tissue, which was encased in a fossil, before it could decay.



Iron from the Tyrannosaurus' blood helped the tissue to survive intact for 68million years

Experts had previously believed that proteins which make up soft tissue should decay in less than one million years.

But after the find a team, headed by Mary Schweitzer, a molecular paleontologist at North Carolina State University, were forced to revise their theory.



Flesh fragments from a Tyrannosaurus Rex, which sparked a history mystery when they were discovered in Montana

She told NBC news: 'The problem is, for 300 years we thought "well the organics are all gone, so why should we look for something that's not going to be there", and nobody looks.'



In 2007 the team finally analysed the chemistry of the suspected Tyrannosaurus tissue which was still soft, transparent and flexible.

They found that the proteins really did come from dinosaur soft tissue, and contained collagens shared similarities with birds.

Red blood cells from the Tyrannosaurus Rex which have survived intact for 68million years



And during the research, the team found that iron in the body of the beast caused the flesh to preserve so well.



Dr Schweitzer added: 'The free radicals cause proteins and cell membranes to tie in knots, they basically act like formaldehyde.'



They found that dinosaur soft tissue is closely associated with iron nanoparticles, and combined with a good environment for fossilisation could survive for millions more years than previously thought.



Researchers now hope to find a bigger specimen so that they can conduct more research.

