Taiwan Today
Date: February 03, 2017

A Taiwan-Canada research team has discovered evidence of protein preservation in a

A Taiwan-Canada research team used the NSRRC’s synchrotron to uncover evidence of protein preservation in a 195 million-year-old dinosaur fossil. (Courtesy of NSRRC)

195 million-year-old dinosaur fossil, a significant finding that may provide more information on the biology and evolution of the long-extinct animals, according to Hsinchu City-based National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center Feb. 2.

The study was conducted by researchers from the NSRRC, National Central University, National Chiao Tung University, National Chung Hsing University and University of Toronto Mississauga. It was published online Jan. 31 in the journal Nature Communications.

Using the NSRRC’s synchrotron, a type of particle accelerator, the team found proteins known as collagen type I preserved inside the vascular canals of the rib of a Lufengosaurus, a long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur from the Early Jurassic epoch. The animal’s remains were unearthed in Yunnan Province, mainland China.  [FULL  STORY]