Scientists have confirmed a small fossil found on a Sussex beach contains pieces of a 133-million-year-old dinosaur brain.
The fossil appears indistinguishable from a common pebble, but eagle-eyed collector Jamie Hiscocks spotted it in a rock pool in Bexhill, East Sussex, in 2004 and passed it on to palaeontologists.
After ten years of research, scientists have said they believe it is a one-of-a-kind discovery – the first ever traces of fossilised dinosaur brain.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The findings were announced yesterday at the annual meeting of the Society for Vertebrate Palaeontology in Salt Lake City, Utah.
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"102725","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
Like many fossils, the original organic matter has decayed over time, leaving behind a distinctive hollow impression called an endocast. This in itself is useful for palaeontologists as it helps them to assess the size and shape of the matter of the original organism.
Researchers studying this fossil have also detected microscopic traces of mineralised brain matter belonging to the meninges, the thin, protective tissue that covers the outside of the brain.
Using X-rays and scanning tunnelling microscopy, an advanced imaging technology, they have been able to examine the structure of the dinosaur's outer brain tissue in minute detail, The Guardian reports.
Scientists believe it belongs to a dinosaur similar to the iguanodon, a large herbivore that lived during the early Cretaceous era.
Although more work is needed before any definite conclusions can be made, the researchers believe "the animal was at least as smart as modern crocodilians".
Past theories relating to the cerebral make-up and intelligence of dinosaurs have been speculative and largely reliant on comparisons with modern birds or reptiles. The discovery of actual dinosaur brain tissue unlocks a new realm of possibilities.
"It never really occurred to me that there could be mineralisation of the tissues in that area because the brain is so fragile," palaeontologist David Norman, of the University of Cambridge, who worked on the fossil, told National Geographic.
"That is the nearest I suspect we're ever going to get to the whole [brain]."
-
The 7 best police procedurals of all timeThe Week Recommends There’s more to cops and robbers than just nabbing the bad guy at the end of the show
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Navy jet, helicopter crash half-hour apart off carrierSpeed Read A US Navy helicopter and a fighter jet both crashed in the same half-hour during separate operations
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
