This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A broken rib from Scotty, the largest T. rex skeleton discovered, is helping scientists uncover new information about life on Earth 66 million years ago. Scotty's rib preserves something rarely seen in the fossil record: a healing injury frozen in time.
Using neutron imaging at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the scientists peered inside the fossilized bone to build 3D views without altering the preserved soft tissue. "It's like winning the lottery," said Mauricio Barbi, professor of physics at the University of Regina (U of R) in Saskatchewan, Canada. "Scotty's rib contains a vast network of mineralized blood vessels that has never before been observed in a fossil." Fossilization rarely preserves soft tissues, such as blood vessels, which are typically lost through decay over time.
Scotty's rib proves to be an extraordinary exception. When the break occurred, iron-rich blood flowed into the area, forming blood vessels to promote healing. But before his broken rib fully healed, Scotty died in a salty marsh, which slowed decomposition and contributed to the preservation of the delicate network of blood vessels.
"Every fossil is a tiny snapshot of the past," said Jerit Mitchell, a U of R doctoral candidate in physics who leads the project under Barbi's direction. Research teams from the Royal Saskatchewan Museum discovered Scotty's remains in Saskatchewan's Frenchman River Valley, one of North America's richest dinosaur fossil sites. The region preserves an invaluable window into the world of dinosaurs just before their extinction.
The team is also examining fossilized amber, dinosaur scales and bones from other dinosaurs. "By piecing the clues together, we understand the past and how things could evolve in the future," said Marcella Berg, a U of R assistant professor of physics and former ORNL postdoctoral researcher. Neutron and X-ray techniques form a powerful discovery pipeline for materials science.
Neutrons reveal light elements on the periodic table—especially hydrogen—with exceptional clarity, while X-rays excel at showing heavier elements. The difference in results is like the difference between an MRI, which highlights soft tissues such as muscle, and an X-ray, which highlights dense structures such as bone. Scientists choose different neutron and X-ray techniques depending on the properties of the materials they are studying.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
