利物浦大学研究人员在一具距今6600万年的恐龙化石中检测到保存完好的原始胶原蛋白，这一发现挑战了长期以来化石化过程会摧毁有机分子的学术假设[1]。该研究团队采用质谱法和蛋白质测序等先进技术，在这具重达22公斤的埃德蒙顿龙骶骨化石中发现了特异性氨基酸羟基脯氨酸，直接确认了胶原蛋白的存在[1]。这具化石出土于南达科他州地狱溪地层上白垩纪地层[1]。
参与研究的教授Steve Taylor表示："这项研究毫无疑问地表明，蛋白质等有机生物分子似乎确实存在于某些化石中。"[1]该研究成果已于2025年发表在《分析化学》第97卷第5期上，并得到加州大学洛杉矶分校、利物浦大学材料创新工厂以及蛋白质组研究中心等机构的参与[1]。
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have detected intact collagen proteins in a 66-million-year-old Edmontosaurus sacrum fossil, challenging the long-held assumption that fossilization destroys organic molecules [1]. The 22-kilogram bone specimen was excavated from the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota, dating to the Late Cretaceous period [1]. Using advanced techniques including mass spectrometry and protein sequencing, the team identified molecular signals of collagen, including the amino acid hydroxyproline, which confirmed the presence of original biological molecules in an extremely ancient fossil [1].
The findings were published in Analytical Chemistry in 2025, Volume 97, Issue 5 [1]. The research involved collaboration between the University of Liverpool, UCLA, the Liverpool Materials Innovation Factory, and the Protein Research Centre [1]. According to Professor Steve Taylor, "This research unequivocally demonstrates that organic biomolecules such as proteins appear to indeed be present in certain fossils" [1].