We Dissolved Fossils To Prove Dinosaurs Were Warm Blooded | Science Skills

Insider Science
26 Jan 202214:23
EducationalLearning
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TLDRThe video script details a fascinating exploration into the world of paleontology, focusing on the discovery of soft tissues in dinosaur fossils, which challenges traditional views on dinosaur metabolism. Researchers at the Field Museum, including expert Jingmai O'Connor, investigate the possibility that dinosaurs like Sue the T. rex were warm-blooded. They employ various techniques such as destructive analyses, slicing and dissolving bones in acid, and Raman spectroscopy to study the bone histology and molecular composition. The presence of blood vessels, growth rings, and diverse melanosomes in dinosaurs like Eoconfuciusornis suggest a high metabolic rate, indicative of warm-bloodedness. The findings, which include the first-ever observation of Sue's blood vessels, have significant implications for understanding the evolution of birds and the survival of certain dinosaur species post-extinction.

Takeaways
  • 🦖 **Soft Tissue Discovery**: Scientists have discovered soft tissues like blood vessels in Sue the T. rex, which were previously thought not to preserve.
  • 🌡️ **Warm-Blooded Dinosaurs**: The presence of fast growth rates and metabolic stress markers in the tissues suggest that dinosaurs like Sue were warm-blooded, not cold-blooded as previously believed.
  • 👩‍🔬 **Expertise in Paleontology**: Jingmai O'Connor, a world expert on Mesozoic birds, is researching why only birds survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction.
  • 🔍 **Destructive Analysis**: Destructive techniques like slicing and dissolving in acid are used to study fossils histologically, allowing scientists to examine specimens under a microscope.
  • 🧪 **Raman Spectroscopy**: A new nondestructive method developed by Jasmina and her team uses a green laser to analyze the molecular composition of organic materials in fossils.
  • 🦜 **Birds' High Metabolism**: The high metabolic rate of birds, which helped them adapt post-extinction, is now understood to be inherited from their dinosaur ancestors rather than an innovation.
  • 🌈 **Color as a Metabolism Indicator**: More diverse colors in a species, such as in Eoconfuciusornis, are indicative of a higher metabolism.
  • 🦕 **Dinosaur Growth Patterns**: Growth lines in Sue's rib, similar to tree rings, show rapid growth in youth and a slowdown as it reached adult size.
  • 🧬 **Soft Tissue Preservation**: Soft tissues can be preserved in exceptional cases, providing a more complete picture of dinosaur physiology.
  • 🦴 **Bone Histology**: Thin bone sections allow for the study of growth rates and metabolic information, which are crucial for understanding dinosaur physiology.
  • 🏛️ **Field Museum Research**: The Field Museum is a hub for advanced paleontological research, where experts analyze dinosaur bones and soft tissues to uncover the past.
Q & A

  • What is the significance of discovering blood vessels in Sue the T. rex?

    -The discovery of blood vessels in Sue the T. rex is significant because it provides direct evidence of soft tissue preservation in dinosaurs, which can help scientists understand more about their physiology and metabolism, including whether they were warm-blooded.

  • How does the process of slicing a bone specimen for histological analysis work?

    -The process involves cutting a piece of the bone, removing it, and grinding it down to a very thin layer so that light can pass through it. This thin section is then studied under a microscope to examine its structure and composition.

  • Why is the cost-benefit analysis important when deciding to perform destructive analyses on fossils?

    -The cost-benefit analysis is crucial because it helps researchers determine if the potential scientific gain from the analysis is worth the risk of damaging or destroying an extremely rare and important fossil.

  • What is the role of the chief fossil preparator in the process of studying dinosaur bones?

    -The chief fossil preparator, like Akiko Shinya in the script, is responsible for carefully taking a small slice of the specimen, embedding it in resin, and then grinding and polishing it to the required thinness for microscopic analysis.

  • How do growth lines in dinosaur bones provide insight into their metabolic rate?

    -The growth lines, or lines of arrested growth, in dinosaur bones are similar to tree rings. They can indicate periods of rapid growth during youth and slower growth as the dinosaur reaches adulthood. The thinness of these lines can suggest a fast growth rate, which is a key indicator of a high metabolic rate.

  • What is the significance of color and melanosomes in understanding dinosaur metabolism?

    -Melanosomes are organelles that determine color in animals. Their presence and diversity in fossilized feathers can indicate a higher metabolism. Different shapes of melanosomes correspond to different colors, and a greater diversity of melanosome sizes is associated with warm-blooded animals.

  • How does Raman spectroscopy contribute to the study of dinosaur soft tissues?

    -Raman spectroscopy is a nondestructive technique that uses a laser to excite different materials in a sample. The resulting spectrum provides information about the molecular bonds and chemical compounds present, which can indicate the metabolic state of the dinosaur.

  • What does the discovery of soft tissues in dinosaur fossils imply about the preservation process?

    -The discovery of soft tissues in dinosaur fossils implies that these soft, non-bony materials can indeed preserve over millions of years, which was previously thought to be impossible. This challenges the traditional understanding of fossilization and opens up new avenues for studying dinosaur physiology.

  • Why is the study of soft tissues important for understanding the diversity of life on Earth?

    -Soft tissues, which include skin, blood vessels, and other non-bony materials, provide a more complete picture of an organism's biology and physiology. Their study can reveal information about an organism's metabolism, behavior, and evolutionary adaptations that are not apparent from the study of bones alone.

  • What was the initial reaction of the scientific community to Mary Schweitzer's findings on soft tissue preservation in dinosaur fossils?

    -Mary Schweitzer's findings on soft tissue preservation in dinosaur fossils were met with skepticism and criticism. Many scientists believed that while the structures looked like original biological tissues, they could not possibly be related due to the perceived improbability of such preservation.

  • How does the discovery of warm-blooded characteristics in dinosaurs challenge previous assumptions about dinosaur physiology?

    -The discovery of warm-blooded characteristics in dinosaurs challenges the previous assumption that all dinosaurs were cold-blooded. It suggests that at least some dinosaurs had a higher metabolic rate, similar to modern warm-blooded animals, which could have significant implications for understanding their behavior, ecological roles, and evolutionary history.

Outlines
00:00
🦖 Exploring Sue the T. rex's Warm-Blooded Nature

The first paragraph introduces Abby Tang and Jasmina Wiemann as they discuss the discovery of Sue the T. rex's blood vessels, indicating that she was warm-blooded. They visit the Field Museum to understand how the museum's experts work with dinosaur fossils. The focus is on Jingmai O'Connor's expertise in Mesozoic birds and her research into why only birds survived the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction. The paragraph details the process of studying dinosaur bones histologically, which involves slicing and thinning the bone to examine it under a microscope. It also touches upon the ethical dilemma of damaging rare fossils for research and the process of preparing a prehistoric bird bone for such analysis.

05:03
🌈 Investigating Dinosaur Metabolism through Color and Melanosomes

The second paragraph delves into the relationship between color and metabolism in dinosaurs. It discusses how the diversity of colors in a species can indicate a higher metabolism. The use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to examine a 130-million-year-old bird feather is highlighted, focusing on eomelanosomes, the structures responsible for black coloration. The conversation covers different shapes of melanosomes and their corresponding colors, and how these structures can provide insights into metabolism. The paragraph also mentions that melanosomes are not definitive proof of warm-bloodedness, leading to the introduction of Jasmina's work in molecular paleobiology and the study of soft tissues in dinosaurs.

10:05
🔬 Advanced Techniques in Paleobiology: Soft Tissues and Raman Spectroscopy

The third paragraph describes the preservation of soft tissues in dinosaur fossils and how recent discoveries have challenged previous scientific understanding. It discusses the process of demineralization to isolate soft tissues and the use of UV light to identify them. The paragraph introduces a new method, Raman spectroscopy, developed by Jasmina and her team, which is used to study the molecular composition of soft tissues nondestructively. The technique involves shining a green laser on the sample, causing chemical bonds to vibrate and produce a spectrum that can be analyzed. The presence of specific compounds in the soft tissues, such as thioethers and nitrogen heterocycles, signal high metabolic stress, which is indicative of a warm-blooded metabolism. The paragraph concludes with the revelation that Sue the T. rex was indeed warm-blooded, which has significant implications for our understanding of dinosaur evolution and metabolism.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Warm-blooded
Warm-blooded refers to animals that can regulate their body temperature internally, maintaining a relatively constant temperature regardless of the environment. In the video, it's a key point of discussion as it suggests that Sue the T. rex, and by extension other dinosaurs, may have been warm-blooded, which challenges previous assumptions about dinosaur physiology.
💡Mesozoic birds
Mesozoic birds are a group of birds that lived during the Mesozoic Era, which includes the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Jingmai O'Connor, one of the experts in the video, specializes in studying these birds. The study of Mesozoic birds is crucial to understanding the evolution and survival of birds through the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.
💡Destructive analyses
Destructive analyses involve damaging or altering a sample in order to study it, such as slicing or dissolving fossils in acid. This method is used to examine the internal structure of bones and is a critical technique in paleontology. In the video, Abby and the team decide to use destructive analyses to study Sue's bones, which leads to significant findings about her metabolic rate.
💡Histological study
Histological study is the examination of the microscopic structure of tissue sections. In the context of the video, scientists use this method to study thin slices of dinosaur bone under a microscope. This allows them to observe growth patterns and other microscopic features, which can provide insights into the dinosaur's growth rate and metabolism.
💡Soft-tissue preservation
Soft-tissue preservation refers to the rare occurrence where non-hardened tissues, such as skin or blood vessels, are preserved in the fossil record. The discovery of soft tissues in dinosaur fossils, as discussed in the video, has revolutionized our understanding of dinosaur biology, offering a more complete picture of these ancient creatures.
💡Eomelanosomes
Eomelanosomes are microscopic structures found in the feathers of some dinosaurs and birds that are responsible for black coloration. They are a type of melanosome, which are organelles that determine color in animal cells. In the video, the presence and shape of eomelanosomes in a fossil bird feather are used as an indicator of the metabolic rate of the animal.
💡Raman spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy is a nondestructive technique that uses a laser to study the vibrational modes of molecules in a sample. It's used in the video to analyze the molecular composition of the soft tissues found in Sue's bones. This method allows researchers to identify specific compounds that can indicate the metabolic rate and other physiological characteristics of the dinosaur.
💡Metabolic stress markers
Metabolic stress markers are chemical indicators that suggest an organism experienced high metabolic stress. In the video, the presence of specific compounds like thioethers, sulfur heterocycles, and nitrogen heterocycles in Sue's soft tissues are used as evidence of high metabolic stress, which is associated with warm-blooded animals.
💡Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction
The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction, also known as the K-Pg extinction event, was a mass extinction event that occurred around 66 million years ago, marking the end of the Cretaceous period and the beginning of the Paleogene period. It is known for the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs. The video discusses how the high metabolism of birds might have helped them survive this event.
💡Field Museum
The Field Museum is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, known for its extensive collection of dinosaur fossils and exhibits. In the video, Abby and the team visit the Field Museum to study Sue the T. rex and other prehistoric specimens, highlighting the museum's role as a hub for paleontological research.
💡Molecular paleobiologist
A molecular paleobiologist is a scientist who studies the molecular composition of ancient organisms, often focusing on preserved soft tissues and organic molecules from fossils. Jasmina Wiemann, featured in the video, is a molecular paleobiologist who has developed new methods to analyze soft tissues in dinosaur fossils, contributing significantly to the understanding of dinosaur physiology.
Highlights

Jasmina Wiemann and Abby Tang are examining Sue the T. rex's blood vessels, providing evidence that she was warm-blooded.

The researchers visited the Field Museum to understand how they analyze dinosaur remains.

Jingmai O'Connor, an expert on Mesozoic birds, discusses the survival of birds post the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction.

The team has a collection of Sue the T. rex's fragments, some of which are used for destructive analyses.

Destructive analysis involves slicing or dissolving fossils in acid to study them histologically.

Akiko Shinya, the chief fossil preparator, demonstrates the process of preparing a prehistoric bird bone for microscopic analysis.

The grinding process for the slides requires them to be between 30 and 80 microns thick for microscopic examination.

Growth rings on Sue's rib indicate a fast growth rate, suggesting a high metabolic rate typical of warm-blooded animals.

The presence of diverse colors in a species, such as in Eoconfuciusornis, is indicative of a higher metabolism.

Eomelanosomes and phaeomelanosomes, identified through scanning electron microscopy, are linked to color and metabolic rates.

Jasmina's work has shown that most dinosaurs were warm-blooded, which challenges previous assumptions about their physiology.

Soft-tissue preservation in dinosaurs, once thought impossible, is now a reality due to recent scientific advancements.

Mary Schweitzer's initial extraction of soft tissues from dinosaur heart tissues was met with skepticism but has since been validated.

The use of hydrochloric acid to dissolve inorganic rock and isolate organic soft tissues in Sue's bones.

Raman spectroscopy, a nondestructive technique, is used to analyze the molecular composition of the soft tissues.

High amounts of metabolic stress markers in Sue's soft tissues suggest she was warm-blooded.

The discovery that birds' high metabolism is not an avian innovation but rather an inherited trait from dinosaurs.

Abby's personal excitement about visiting the Field Museum and seeing the behind-the-scenes work of paleontology.

Transcripts

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Related Tags
PaleontologySoft TissueWarm-bloodedDinosaur ResearchField MuseumMesozoic BirdsCretaceousRaman SpectroscopyEvolutionScience Discovery