Эртний нисдэг мөлхөгчийн далавчны яснаас стероидын ул мөр илэрсэн нь амьтны идэш тэжээл болон үхлийн дараах задралын процессыг судлах шинэ боломжийг нээв.
Бразилын зүүн хойд нутгаас 113 сая жилийн настай птерозаврын далавчны ясны олдвор олдсон нь палеонтологийн салбарт ховор тохиолдол болж байна. Curtin их сургуулийн судлаачдын “iScience” сэтгүүлд нийтэлснээр, уг олдвор нь зөвхөн ясны бүтэц төдийгүй химийн молекулын үлдэгдлийг хадгалсан “цаг хугацааны капсул” болжээ. Энэхүү олдвороос стероидын ул мөр илэрсэн нь птерозаврууд загас эсвэл далайн хавч хэлбэрийн амьтдаар хооллодог байсныг баталж байна.
Яс нь далайн ёроолд хуримтлагдсаны дараа хүрээлэн буй орчны нөлөөгөөр, ялангуяа хүхэр исэлдүүлэгч нянгуудын оролцоотойгоор өвөрмөц байдлаар хадгалагдан үлджээ. Эдгээр бичил биетүүд нь ясны эргэн тойронд эрдэсжилт үүсгэж, улмаар ясыг гадны даралтаас хамгаалан гурван хэмжээст хэлбэрээр нь бэхжүүлсэн байна. Профессор Клити Грис энэхүү процесс нь хүчилтөрөгчөөр дамжин явагдах исэлдэлтийн үйл явцын үр дүнд эртний олдворууд хэрхэн хадгалагдаж үлддэгийг харуулж буйг онцолжээ.
Птерозаврууд нь үлэг гүрвэлүүдтэй зэрэгцэн амьдарч байсан, нисэх чадвартай анхны сээр нуруутан амьтдын нэг юм. Зарим төрлийн птерозаврын далавчны урт 12 метр хүрдэг байсан бөгөөд тэдний хөндий яс нь хөнгөн байх боломжийг олгодог байв. Энэхүү хөндий бүтэц нь эрдэс бодисоор баялаг шингэн ясны дотор нэвтрэхэд дөхөм болж, нарийн бүтэц болон химийн ул мөрийг 100 сая гаруй жилийн турш хадгалан үлдэхэд нөлөөлсөн байж болзошгүй гэж судлаачид үзэж байна.
Бразил, Герман, АНУ-ын эрдэмтдийн хамтарсан баг дэвшилтэт дүрслэл болон геохимийн багаж хэрэгслийг ашиглан уг судалгааг гүйцэтгэжээ. Энэхүү нээлт нь дэлхийн бусад олдворын цэгүүдэд ч ижил төстэй хадгалалтын механизм байж болохыг харуулж байгаа бөгөөд эртний экосистемийг танин мэдэхэд чухал хувь нэмэр оруулж байна.
Дэлгэрэнгүйг эх сурвалжаас харах
↓Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
A 113-million-year-old pterosaur wing bone has been found in northeastern Brazil. The fossil, described in a study published in iScience, doesn’t just preserve bone structure; it also contains chemical traces that hint at what the animal ate and how it was buried. According to Curtin University, it’s a rare case where anatomy and chemistry survive together after more than 100 million years.
Pterosaurs were flying reptiles that lived alongside dinosaurs and were among the first vertebrates to master powered flight. Some had wingspans reaching up to 12 meters, and their hollow bones made them lightweight in life but tricky in death. Those same hollow structures sometimes helped preserve them in unusual ways when conditions were just right on the seabed.
What stands out here is how much information survived. Most fossils of this age lose all original biological signals, yet this one still carries molecular leftovers.
A Wing Bone That Kept More Than Its Shape
The fossilized wing phalanx is preserved in three dimensions, meaning it didn’t collapse flat under sediment pressure like many ancient bones do. As mentioned in the study, this kind of preservation gives researchers a clearer view of the original structure, down to fine anatomical details that are usually lost over time.
Even more surprising, scientists detected steroid molecules inside the fossil. Lead author Kliti Grice, a John Curtin Distinguished Professor, put it simply:
“This fossil is a true time capsule—not only is it beautifully preserved, but for the first time we’ve detected traces of steroids in a pterosaur, providing further evidence that these creatures likely fed on fish or squid,” she said.
Those molecules matter because they’re extremely rare. Organic compounds usually break down long before fossils reach this age. Their survival here suggests that something in the burial environment slowed or redirected the usual decay process, locking in traces of the animal’s biology.
Chemical Traces Inside a Pterosaur Wing
After the pterosaur died and sank to the seabed, it didn’t just decay in a simple way. Instead, microbes took over, reshaping the chemistry around the body. The study explains that sulfur-oxidising bacteria played a key role in this process.
As explained by the Curtin University researchers, these microbes triggered shifts in redox conditions, basically changes in how oxygen and chemicals interacted in the sediment. That set off mineral formation around the remains, gradually sealing the bone in a kind of natural casing. Grice noted something that flips a common assumption on its head.
“Rather than being destroyed by oxygen, some fossils are preserved because of it, through oxidative processes carried out by ancient microbiomes.”
Over time, this microbial activity helped stabilize the bone so it kept its shape and fine structure.
“ Microbes, including sulfur-oxidising bacteria, began breaking down the soft tissue and fats and triggered mineralisation around the body – a process that, over time, helped preserve its structure in incredible detail for more than 100 million years,” she explained.
Ancient Seabed Ecosystem Preserved in Stone
The fossil was found in marine sediment in northeastern Brazil, meaning the animal likely ended up on an ancient seafloor soon after death. That setting mattered. The mix of sediment, microbes, and chemical changes created a kind of natural preservation system that doesn’t often happen.
Pterosaurs had hollow bones, and that feature may have made a difference after burial. Those empty spaces could have let mineral-rich fluids move through the bone more easily, helping preserve internal details as minerals formed around it.
The study brought together researchers from Brazil, Germany, and the United States, using advanced imaging and geochemical tools at Curtin’s laboratories. These methods helped reconstruct both the physical structure of the bone and the chemical story hidden inside it.
Also, similar preservation patterns are starting to show up at other sites too, hinting that this case from Brazil might not be unique.
“It adds to the growing evidence that tiny microbes played a big role in this process—something we are now identifying at other fossil sites—presenting a new global Lagerstätten mechanism, the special conditions that make exceptional preservation possible,” said Grice in a statement from the university.
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