Will Dunham: Chinese fossil reveals evolution of skin in feathered dinosaurs May 21, 2024
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/chinese-fossil-reveals-evolution-skin-150556308.html
"When I turned on the UV light, I could feel my heart almost skip a beat. Large patches of scaly skin, covering the chest and belly, were glowing in a striking golden-yellow color under the UV. The fossil skin looked really exquisite, covered by tiny, rounded scales of about one millimeter wide," Yang said.
Fossils of any soft tissues are rare. Skin fossils of this quality are rarer still.
Unearthed in northeastern China, the nearly complete fossil, dating to roughly 130 million years ago, is of a juvenile Psittacosaurus (pronounced SIT-ak-oh-sawr-us), about 2-1/4 feet (66 cm) long and approximately 3 years old when it died. It was donated in 2021 to Nanjing University from a private collection.
Commentary: The claim that the fossil skin of Psittacosaurus has remained intact for 130 million years is highly improbable from a scientific standpoint. Soft tissues like skin are composed of organic materials that are susceptible to degradation and decomposition over geological timescales. Skin is primarily composed of proteins, lipids, and other organic compounds that are susceptible to breakdown by microorganisms, enzymes, and chemical processes. Over millions of years, these organic components would be expected to degrade and disintegrate, leaving no original tissue behind. Fossilization typically involves the replacement of organic matter with inorganic minerals, such as silica or calcium carbonate. While this process can preserve the overall shape and structure of an organism, it is highly unlikely for the original organic molecules to remain intact over such vast timescales. Over millions of years, fossils would be subjected to various geological processes, including tectonic movements, heat, pressure, and chemical alterations. These processes can further degrade and alter any remaining organic materials, making it virtually impossible for original soft tissues to survive intact. Even if some organic remnants were initially preserved, they would be susceptible to contamination and alteration by external factors over such an extended period. This could lead to the introduction of new organic compounds or the modification of existing ones, making it difficult to distinguish the original tissue from later alterations.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/chinese-fossil-reveals-evolution-skin-150556308.html
"When I turned on the UV light, I could feel my heart almost skip a beat. Large patches of scaly skin, covering the chest and belly, were glowing in a striking golden-yellow color under the UV. The fossil skin looked really exquisite, covered by tiny, rounded scales of about one millimeter wide," Yang said.
Fossils of any soft tissues are rare. Skin fossils of this quality are rarer still.
Unearthed in northeastern China, the nearly complete fossil, dating to roughly 130 million years ago, is of a juvenile Psittacosaurus (pronounced SIT-ak-oh-sawr-us), about 2-1/4 feet (66 cm) long and approximately 3 years old when it died. It was donated in 2021 to Nanjing University from a private collection.
Commentary: The claim that the fossil skin of Psittacosaurus has remained intact for 130 million years is highly improbable from a scientific standpoint. Soft tissues like skin are composed of organic materials that are susceptible to degradation and decomposition over geological timescales. Skin is primarily composed of proteins, lipids, and other organic compounds that are susceptible to breakdown by microorganisms, enzymes, and chemical processes. Over millions of years, these organic components would be expected to degrade and disintegrate, leaving no original tissue behind. Fossilization typically involves the replacement of organic matter with inorganic minerals, such as silica or calcium carbonate. While this process can preserve the overall shape and structure of an organism, it is highly unlikely for the original organic molecules to remain intact over such vast timescales. Over millions of years, fossils would be subjected to various geological processes, including tectonic movements, heat, pressure, and chemical alterations. These processes can further degrade and alter any remaining organic materials, making it virtually impossible for original soft tissues to survive intact. Even if some organic remnants were initially preserved, they would be susceptible to contamination and alteration by external factors over such an extended period. This could lead to the introduction of new organic compounds or the modification of existing ones, making it difficult to distinguish the original tissue from later alterations.