I have a piece in Nature News about the controversial claim that Mary Schweitzer has recovered proteins from the fossilised bones of two dinosaurs – Tyrannosaurus and Brachylophosaurus. These samples are 68 and 80 million years old respectively, and the discovery of proteins that ancient has been met by excited awe from some scientists and aggressive criticism from others.

Scientists have discovered how fragments of the protein collagen might have survived in fossilized dinosaur bones. The intertwining, rope-like structure of the molecule, a major component of bone, could have shielded parts of the protein from enzymes and the elements for tens of millions of years, they say.

The results, which are published in PLoS ONE, support the contentious claim