Captorhinus aguti fossil reveals mummified skin, proteins, and earliest lung function
Updated
Updated · Good News Network · Apr 24
Captorhinus aguti fossil reveals mummified skin, proteins, and earliest lung function
8 articles · Updated · Good News Network · Apr 24
Scientists studied a 289-million-year-old Captorhinus aguti fossil from Richards Spur, Oklahoma, uncovering three-dimensional skin, calcified cartilage, and protein remnants nearly 100 million years older than any previously found.
Advanced neutron computed tomography and spectroscopy revealed detailed ribcage structures, providing the first direct evidence of costal aspiration breathing in early amniotes, a key evolutionary step for vertebrate activity on land.
This exceptional preservation, aided by unique cave conditions, dramatically expands knowledge of early reptile evolution and soft tissue fossilization, with the specimen now housed at the Royal Ontario Museum for further research.
After finding a 289-million-year-old mummy, what is paleontology's next great search?
Could this ancient reptile’s unique shoulder movement inspire future robotic designs?
What breathing innovation from this ancient reptile do humans still rely on today?
How could finding the world's oldest proteins redefine the search for ancient life?
How does neutron imaging reveal soft tissue through 289 million years of solid rock?
This reptile lived on Pangea. How did its arid world shape modern animal life?