Chemists explain why dinosaur collagen may have survived for millions of years

MIT chemists explain why dinosaur collagen may have survived for millions of years

Boston MA (SPX) Sep 05, 2024 Collagen, a protein found in bones and connective tissue, has been found in dinosaur fossils as old as 195 million years. That far exceeds the normal half-life of the peptide bonds that hold proteins together, which is about 500 years. A new study from MIT offers an explanation for how collagen can survive for so much longer than expected. The research team found that a special atomic-leve

Chemists explain why dinosaur collagen may have survived for millions of years

Chemists offer a new explanation for how collagen in dinosaur bones may have survived millions of years: An atomic-level interaction prevents its bonds from being broken down by water.

How collagen survives for millions of years

Fragments of the protein collagen have been found preserved in dinosaur fossils 80 million to195 million years old. But this shouldn’t be possible. With a half-life of only about 500 years, the peptide bonds that hold proteins together ought to break down much, much sooner. Now, a new study in ACS Central Science has described the protective chemistry responsible for collagen’s extraordinary longevity. As the most abundant protein in animals, co…

How did collagen survive in dinosaur fossils for millions of years?

The bonds of most proteins break after around 500 years, but collagen has been found preserved for nearly 200m years. MIT researchers think the reason lies in its triple helix structure. Read more: How did collagen survive in dinosaur fossils for millions of years?