A study published Thursday claims that scientists absolutely trousered previous data analysis of a 280-million-year-old fossil, mistaking paint for bodily tissue.
The fossilized Tridentinosaurus antiquus is believed to be one of the oldest species of reptile known to archaeology, but new analysis published in the journal Palaeontology is totally upending everything Big Archaeology thought they knew about her. The reptile was uncovered in the Italian Alps in the 1930s, and appeared to be made up of both soft tissue and skeletal remains, which puzzled scientists … until now.
A reanalysis of the little beastie using ultraviolet light (UV) revealed the material long-thought to be soft tissue is actually just a pigment, indicating the bodily outline is a forgery, the researchers wrote. Unfortunately, this analysis now “poses new questions about the validity of this enigmatic taxon.”
La pelle del rettile fossile più antico d’Italia è vera? 🦎
Nuovo studio racconta: la traccia carboniosa superficiale del Tridentinosaurus antiquus non è pelle ma uno strato di colorante.
La ricerca ha coinvolto anche #MUSETrento
Scarica il CS➡️ https://t.co/XzFKLY3sff#pressMUSE pic.twitter.com/k4IB7qa8aI— MUSE_Museum (@MUSE_Trento) February 16, 2024
“Fossilised soft tissues are rare, but can reveal important biological information about a species, like its external colouration, internal anatomy and physiology,” lead study author Dr. Valentina Rossi told the Natural History Museum. “We hoped that the answer to all our questions about Tridentinosaurus was right in front of us, and so we studied the fossil specimen in detail to reveal its secrets, even those that, perhaps, we did not want to know.” (RELATED: A 27,000-Year-Old Pyramid Is Causing Much Debate For Big Archaeology)
Obviously a lot more research is needed to reveal the full truth, but I absolutely love the chaos of this situation.