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‘Disgusting And Smelly’ Experiment Shows How Spectacular Fossils Form

maximus otter

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New research at the University of Leicester has transformed scientists' understanding of how spectacular fossils with delicate soft tissues form.

While most fossils are permineralized "hard" tissues, such as bone, shells or teeth, some rare sites around the world had unique conditions which allowed minerals to fossilize soft parts such skin, muscles and other organs.

But one aspect of this rare preservation that has troubled scientists is why some internal organs seem to fossilize more commonly that others.

For a possible answer, researchers in Leicester's Center for Paleobiology developed an experiment to study the chemical reactions inside a decaying fish over the course of two-and-a-half months.

Their findings show that specific tissue chemistry governs its likelihood to be replaced by minerals and explains why some organs are preserved in great detail, while other organs are seemingly lost to time.

Dr. Thomas Clements says, "We designed an experiment observing rotting fish, which was disgusting and smelly, but we made an interesting discovery."

"The organs don't generate special microenvironments—they all rot in a kind of 'soup' together. This means that it is the specific tissue chemistry of the organs that governs their likelihood to turn into fossils."

"We were really pleased with the results because we can now explain, for example, why fossils often preserve an animal's gut but never preserve their liver."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidb...xperiment-shows-how-spectacular-fossils-form/

maximus otter
 
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