Brachylophosaurus was a mid-sized member of the hadrosaurid family of dinosaurs living about 78 million years ago, and is known from several skeletons and bonebed material from the Judith River Formation of Montana and the Oldman Formation of Alberta. Recent fossil evidence indicates structures similar to blood vessels in location and morphology, have been recovered after demineralization of multiple dinosaur cortical bone fragments from multiple specimens, some of which are as old as 80 Ma. These structures were hypothesized to be either endogenous to the bone (i.e., of vascular origin) or the result of biofilm colonizing the empty network after degradation of original organic components (i.e., bacterial, slime mold or fungal in origin). Cleland et al. (1) tested the hypothesis that these structures are endogenous and thus retain proteins in common with extant archosaur blood vessels that can be detected with high-resolution mass spectrometry and confirmed by immunofluorescence.
Continue reading “Dino Protein: New Methods for Old (Very) Samples”
Jumping from down South to way up North, the city of Cairns seems like a touristy beach town, sporting a laid-back feel with lots of cafes, pubs, and restaurants. The locals drop the hard ‘R’s in most words, making the name of the city hit the ear more like “cans”. Popping into town, we stopped by the city center and soaking pools along the Esplanade to relax.
During the Christmas period, the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) becomes a feature of almost every city in the German-speaking countries, town or village, where visitors enjoy stalls, entertainment, and savour food and Glühwein (mulled wine). Famous Christmastime treats include Lebkuchen (gingerbread), Stollen (fruit cake), and Marzipan (confectionery often made into sweets).
