Yesterday's T. Rex is today's chicken

[one...two...tree 2,762]

By Dan Vergano, USA TODAY

The discovery of traces of flesh in a 68-million-year-old Tyrannosaurus rex bone ties the King of the Dinosaurs to modern-day species and, scientists say, heralds a "milestone" shift in paleontology.

"Based on the small sample we've recovered, chickens may be the closest relatives (to T. rex)," says geneticist John Asara of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, co-leader of a team reporting the discovery of faint traces of chicken-like bone lining preserved inside a dinosaur drumstick.

In studies reported in the journal Science, Asara and colleagues conclude that seven traces of proteins detected in purified T. rex bone most closely match those reported in chickens, followed by frogs and newts.

LEARN MORE: The current issue of 'Science'

The astonishing find of barely detectable tissue from a creature tens of millions of years old, along with similar traces the team found in a mastodon bone at least 160,000 years old, upends the conventional view of fossils and may shift paleontologists' focus from bone hunting to biochemistry, say experts.

Until now, scientists thought fossilization replaced every last bit of living tissue with inert mineral.

"I'd call it a milestone," says paleontologist Hans Larsson of McGill University in Montreal, who was not part of the studies. "Dinosaurs will enter the field of molecular biology and really slingshot paleontology into the modern world."

[Robor007 0]

Carl Everett would beg to differ!

[MissStacey 1]

So then Dinosaur tasted like chicken?

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

So then Dinosaur tasted like chicken?

one of the scientists did use that line

[Niels Bohr 72]

So then Dinosaur tasted like chicken?

A lot of white meat! T-Rex Buffalo WINGs yummy!!!

[MissStacey 1]

KFD- Kentucky Fried Dinosaur!

So instead of saying everything tastes like chicken, we should actually be saying it tastes like dinosaur.

Edited April 13, 2007 by Stacey33

[Niels Bohr 72]

How can you put the eggs in the fridge now?

[Dr_LHA 3]

So instead of saying everything tastes like chicken, we should actually be saying it tastes like dinosaur.

Good one!

[Saddle Bronc 124]

So then Dinosaur tasted like chicken?

Perhaps emu, bustard or goose?

(or even -- shudder -- CROW!!!)

Edited April 13, 2007 by CherryXS

[one...two...tree 2,762]

So then Dinosaur tasted like chicken?

Perhaps emu, bustard or goose?

(or even -- shudder -- CROW!!!)

I was thinking Osterich meat would be closer. Anybody here ever try Osterich meat? Emu?

[Dr_LHA 3]

I was thinking Osterich meat would be closer. Anybody here ever try Osterich meat? Emu?

I've had Osterich. Its not like chicken, it's very rich and dark. It's closer to beef than chicken.

Edited April 13, 2007 by Dr_LHA