logo
Scientists Recover Rare Proteins From 24-Million-Year-Old Rhino Fossil

Scientists Recover Rare Proteins From 24-Million-Year-Old Rhino Fossil

NDTV16-07-2025
Scientists have recovered ancient proteins from a fossilised rhinoceros tooth, which is a crucial step in the study of ancient life on Earth. The 21-to 24-million-year-old fossil was found in the Haughton Crater on Nunavut's Devon Island in the 1980s. The proteins were preserved in the tooth's enamel, which acted like a "vault" protecting them over millions of years. Researchers analysed the proteins using a technique called chiral amino acid analysis.
Danielle Fraser, the Canadian Museum of Nature's head of paleobiology and one of the research scientists involved in the study, revealed that the proteins are 10 times older than any previously recoverable sample of ancient DNA.
The discovery has opened up new possibilities for studying ancient life and evolution, potentially allowing researchers to analyse proteins from even older fossils, including dinosaur fossils. They can also use the analysis to study the evolutionary relationships between different species.
The proteins in the rhino fossil are intact in the high Arctic's dry, cold environment, and the hardiness of tooth enamel. Otherwise, ancient DNA does not typically survive beyond one million years.
The study, published July 9 in the scientific journal Nature, suggests that proteins can survive for millions of years under the right conditions.
The development would help in future research into ancient proteins and their potential to simplify our understanding of evolution.
"It's very clear that the Arctic is creating a freezer allowing these proteins in these animals to be preserved over much longer time periods than we would expect. This really extends our ability to understand evolution back much farther than we previously thought," said Fraser. "Humans are the last few milliseconds on that clock right before you hit the 12. And that 23 million years is going to be about five minutes ago."
The ancient rhino diverged from other rhinocerotids during the Middle Eocene-Oligocene epoch, around 41-25 million years ago.
The two main subfamilies of rhinos, Elasmotheriinae and Rhinocerotinae, diverged more recently than previously believed, around 34-22 million years ago.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The first ancient Egyptian genome is here, and it changes everything we know
The first ancient Egyptian genome is here, and it changes everything we know

Economic Times

timea day ago

  • Economic Times

The first ancient Egyptian genome is here, and it changes everything we know

A breakthrough Live Events Clues to a life lived in labour (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Scientists have sequenced the first complete genome from ancient Egypt, uncovering surprising genetic ties between the Nile Valley and man, who lived between 4,500 and 4,800 years ago during the era of the earliest pyramids, was discovered in a sealed clay pot near Nuwayrat, south of Cairo. His remains, now kept at Liverpool's World Museum, were unearthed in 1902 but only recently yielded enough DNA for analysis. Genetic analysis indicates he had brown eyes, dark hair, and dark findings, published in Nature, show that around 80 percent of his ancestry came from ancient North Africans, while about 20 percent traced back to West Asia and Mesopotamia( modern‑day Iraq and Iran). Researchers say this provides the first genetic evidence of population movement between these regions, long suspected through archaeological finds.'Piecing together all the clues from this individual's DNA, bones, and teeth has allowed us to build a comprehensive picture,' said Dr Adeline Morez Jacobs, lead author and visiting fellow at Liverpool John Moores University. 'We hope that future DNA samples from ancient Egypt can expand on when precisely this movement from West Asia started.'Egypt's hot climate usually destroys genetic material, frustrating decades of research. Even Nobel laureate Svante Pääbo's early attempts in the 1980s failed. But advances in sequencing technology and the unusual preservation of this man's tooth cementum, a tissue that locks teeth into the jaw, finally made it used a technique called shotgun sequencing, reading every DNA fragment in the sample to reconstruct the genome. 'Our approach means that any future researcher can access the whole genome we published,' said Dr Linus Girdland-Flink of the University of analysis shows the man was just over 5ft tall and aged between 44 and 64, exceptionally old for his time. His skeleton shows that he had arthritis, muscle markings from lifting heavy loads, and pelvic wear from long hours sitting on hard signs, along with the period when pottery wheels arrived in Egypt, suggest he may have been a potter, though his relatively high‑status burial hints at a respected say the discovery marks 'the beginning of writing the genetic history of Egypt', opening the door to further studies on how ancient people moved, mingled, and shaped one of the world's earliest civilizations.

The first ancient Egyptian genome is here, and it changes everything we know
The first ancient Egyptian genome is here, and it changes everything we know

Time of India

timea day ago

  • Time of India

The first ancient Egyptian genome is here, and it changes everything we know

Scientists have sequenced the first complete genome from ancient Egypt, uncovering surprising genetic ties between the Nile Valley and Mesopotamia. The man, who lived between 4,500 and 4,800 years ago during the era of the earliest pyramids, was discovered in a sealed clay pot near Nuwayrat, south of Cairo. His remains, now kept at Liverpool's World Museum, were unearthed in 1902 but only recently yielded enough DNA for analysis. Genetic analysis indicates he had brown eyes, dark hair, and dark skin. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Artificial Intelligence Product Management CXO Data Science MBA Data Analytics others Degree Healthcare Technology Public Policy MCA Design Thinking Cybersecurity Data Science Project Management healthcare Finance Digital Marketing PGDM Others Operations Management Leadership Management Skills you'll gain: Duration: 7 Months S P Jain Institute of Management and Research CERT-SPJIMR Exec Cert Prog in AI for Biz India Starts on undefined Get Details The findings, published in Nature, show that around 80 percent of his ancestry came from ancient North Africans, while about 20 percent traced back to West Asia and Mesopotamia( modern‑day Iraq and Iran). Researchers say this provides the first genetic evidence of population movement between these regions, long suspected through archaeological finds. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like War Thunder - Register now for free and play against over 75 Million real Players War Thunder Play Now Undo 'Piecing together all the clues from this individual's DNA, bones, and teeth has allowed us to build a comprehensive picture,' said Dr Adeline Morez Jacobs, lead author and visiting fellow at Liverpool John Moores University. 'We hope that future DNA samples from ancient Egypt can expand on when precisely this movement from West Asia started.' A breakthrough Live Events Egypt's hot climate usually destroys genetic material, frustrating decades of research. Even Nobel laureate Svante Pääbo's early attempts in the 1980s failed. But advances in sequencing technology and the unusual preservation of this man's tooth cementum, a tissue that locks teeth into the jaw, finally made it possible. Scientists used a technique called shotgun sequencing, reading every DNA fragment in the sample to reconstruct the genome. 'Our approach means that any future researcher can access the whole genome we published,' said Dr Linus Girdland-Flink of the University of Aberdeen. Clues to a life lived in labour Forensic analysis shows the man was just over 5ft tall and aged between 44 and 64, exceptionally old for his time. His skeleton shows that he had arthritis, muscle markings from lifting heavy loads, and pelvic wear from long hours sitting on hard surfaces. These signs, along with the period when pottery wheels arrived in Egypt, suggest he may have been a potter, though his relatively high‑status burial hints at a respected craftsperson. Experts say the discovery marks 'the beginning of writing the genetic history of Egypt', opening the door to further studies on how ancient people moved, mingled, and shaped one of the world's earliest civilizations.

Meta unveils mind-reading wristband that lets you control devices without touching them
Meta unveils mind-reading wristband that lets you control devices without touching them

India Today

time3 days ago

  • India Today

Meta unveils mind-reading wristband that lets you control devices without touching them

Ever imagined a time when you'd be able to open an app or type a message, not by tapping on the screen or clicking the mouse, but instead by just thinking about it? Sounds like a sci-fi movie? Well, that's exactly what Meta's latest experimental technology is working towards. According to a report by The New York Times via research detailed in Nature (a well-known scientific journal), Meta has developed a wristband that can pick up electrical signals from your muscles and use them to control computers, smartphones, and other devices. The interesting bit — you don't even have to physically move. The wristband can understand your intention to move, and that's enough to trigger a response on screen. Of course, the device is still in development, but Meta says it could be ready for the market in the next few wristband is designed by researchers at Meta's Reality Labs and works using a technique called electromyography (EMG). It reads electrical signals that travel from the brain to the muscles, especially in the forearm. When you think about moving a finger or wrist, your brain sends signals, and this device catches those signals before your muscles even react. 'You don't have to actually move,' said Thomas Reardon, Meta's VP of research, in an interview. 'You just have to intend the move.'The technology relies on AI to make sense of these muscle signals. Meta gathered data from about 10,000 people wearing the wristband prototype. Using machine learning, the team trained the system to recognise patterns linked to specific movements. That means even a new user could strap on the band and start using it without needing to teach it from scratch. 'Out of the box, it can work with a new user it has never seen data for,' said Patrick Kaifosh, one of the scientists leading the project. The main difference between this and brain-implant tech like Neuralink is that Meta's wristband is non-invasive. You don't need surgery — you just wear it like a smartwatch. That makes it safer and easier to use for the general public, as well as for people with mobility issues. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon are already testing it with people who have spinal cord injuries, helping them interact with computers despite limited hand function. 'We can see their intention to type,' said Douglas Weber, professor at Carnegie mentioned at the start, the idea of reading your thoughts might sound a bit sci-fi, but the team behind the wristband is clear — it's not actually reading your mind. 'It feels like the device is reading your mind, but it is not. It is just translating your intention. It sees what you are about to do,' Reardon far, the prototype has shown that users can control a mouse, type words, and even write letters in the air that appear on a screen — all by making small finger gestures or simply intending them. With practice, people can even activate individual muscle fibres without any visible movement at all.- Ends

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store