Fossilized Dinosaur Eggshells: Paleontologists, Amateur Fossil Hunters Continue Unearthing Their Traces to Date

Researchers have recently examined a molecular makeup of fossilized dinosaur eggshells from Mexico, discovering nine amino acids and proof of ancient protein constructions.

Describing the ancient reptiles, a ScienceDaily report said, dinosaurs roamed this planet over 65 million years ago, and paleontologists and amateur fossil hunters are still unearthing their traces at present.

The minerals found in the fossilized eggs and shell remains offer snapshots into the early lives of these creatures, including their fossilization process.

As indicated in this new study, all dinosaurs laid eggs, although most of them have not survived the test of time. More so, since whole eggs and shell fragments are quite rare fossils, their mineral structure has not been widely examined.

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Fossilization Process

Information from the Carleton College site highlights two major types of fossils which include body fossils and trace fossils.

Both types are the remnants of living organisms. Body fossils show the structure of the body of the organism while fossils show these organisms' activities.

Essentially, the process of fossilization is also known as "taphonomy" which comprises three major components. First of which is the organism's death.

Then, there are several processes that can take place in the organism prior to it, getting buried. Such processes can comprise body decay resulting from natural elements like water, wind, or attacks from predators.

Lastly, there are some processes that take place after burying the body of the organism. Such processes lead to fossils' different categories.

Mineral and Organic Carbon-based Mechanisms in Fossilized Dinosaur Eggshells

Earlier, Abel Moreno, together with his colleagues reported the eggshells' micro-architectures from various species of dinosaurs discovered in Baja California.

Even though other research teams have shown that some dinosaur eggshells had calcium carbonate, carbohydrates, as well as other compounds, no one has carried out similar analyses on the species' shells that the team of Moreno had collected.

Consequently, as a next step, these study authors wanted to look at the mineral and organic carbon-based structures in fossilized eggshells from species hatched in the Late Cretaceous.

Additionally, the researchers were able to collect five fossilized eggshells from dinosaurs in the Theropod, the bipedal carnivores, and Hadrosauridae, the duck-billed dinosaurs, families, as well as unknown ootaxon.

Presence of Hydroxyapatite and Iron Oxide Impurities

In their study, Digging into the molecules of fossilized dinosaur eggshells, published in the American Chemical Society, the authors discovered that calcium carbonate was mainly mineral, with smaller amounts of albite and quartz crystals.

Anhydrite, hydroxyapatite, and iron oxide impurities were present too, in the shells, which the study authors suggest, replaced some of the original minerals during the process of fossilization.

Then, through the use of FT-IR or Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, the team was able to find nine amino acids among the five samples, although the only lysine was found to be in all of them.

Furthermore, the researchers also identified in their research, proof of secondary protein structures which include "helices, sheets, and disordered structures," preserved for millions of years by being entrenched in the minerals.

Essentially too, the FT-IR bands corresponding to amino acids and secondary constructions could be suggestive of ancestral proteins that have been previously characterized, explained the researchers.

Related information about the discovery of fossilized dinosaur eggshells is shown on Amazing Facts' YouTube video below: