Dinosaur Blood Found in 115-Million-Year-Old Brazilian Fossil

Scientists have identified dinosaur blood in a 115-million-year-old Brazilian fossil for the first time, using advanced laboratory analysis. The discovery provides unprecedented molecular evidence from the Cretaceous period. The fossil, from the carnivorous theropod Aratasaurus museunacionali, contained mineralized red blood cells and heme molecules preserved in sealed bone cavities. Researchers used spectroscopy and chromatography to confirm the biological origin, ruling out microbial contamination. Published in PNAS, the findings were enabled by exceptional preservation in hausmannite mineral and rapid oxygen-free burial. While no DNA or intact tissues were found, the research opens new avenues for studying dinosaur biology and organic matter preservation over geological timescales.