66-Million-Year-Old T. rex Ribs Reveal Traces of Blood Vessels

Swift Summary

• A Canadian research team discovered preserved blood vessel structures inside the rib of Scotty, a tyrannosaurus rex excavated in Saskatchewan during the 1990s.
• The discovery was made using synchrotron X-ray imaging technology at the Canadian Light Source, which allowed detailed 3D visualizations without damaging fossils.
• Researchers identified that these preserved structures were linked to areas of bone healing, suggesting Scotty might have sustained injuries in dino-on-dino battles.
• Chemical analysis highlighted how soft tissue can survive for tens of millions of years and provided insights into animal biology and evolutionary processes.
• Scientists are using comparisons with living species like birds and reptiles to better understand injury healing mechanisms across time.
• This study underscores how non-destructive imaging continues to reveal significant scientific information about fossils decades after their unearthing.

![Image: Scotty T-Rex at Royal Saskatchewan Museum]

![Image: 3D Printed Vessel Structures]

indian opinion Analysis

The discovery highlights significant advancements in paleontology by leveraging modern non-destructive technologies such as synchrotron X-rays to preserve fossil integrity while extracting invaluable biological insights. For India, which has rich geological sites like those in Gujarat known for dinosaur remains, adopting such cutting-edge methodologies can enhance local scientific research while boosting international collaboration opportunities. Additionally, drawing parallels between extinct species’ physiology and living ones has far-reaching implications for biological sciences globally.

The integration of advanced imaging systems like those used on Scotty presents possibilities for exploring ecosystems preserved across geographies-including India-and offers potential applications ranging from evolutionary studies to medical science investigations where learning from ancient organisms could guide understanding modern health challenges.

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