Chemical remains of Dinobird found

A 150-million-year old 'Dinobird' fossil, long thought to contain nothing but fossilized bone and rock, has been hiding remnants of the animal's original chemistry, according to new research. The sensational discovery by an international team of palaeontologists, geochemists and physicists was made after carrying out state-of-the art analysis of one the world's most important fossils - the half-dinosaur/half-bird species called Archaeopteryx. The discovery could revolutionize the field of palaeontology say the team led by scientists at The University of Manchester and the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the United States. By recording how 'bright X-rays' interacted with the fossil, the team have created maps showing chemical elements which were part of the living animal itself. The maps, published today in the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Science, show that portions of the feathers are not merely impressions of long-decomposed organic material—as was previously believed. Instead, they include fossilized fragments of actual feathers containing phosphorous and sulfur, elements that compose modern bird feathers. Trace amounts of copper and zinc were also found in the Dinobird's bones: like birds today, the Archaeopteryx may have required those elements to stay healthy.