Proteomics, Genomics & Microarrays - Spotlight - Mass Spectrometry Analysis of Dinosaur Fossils Strengthens Evolutionary Linkages

Evolution is a controversial issue and many of today?s hypotheses are largely based on the architecture of bones. With regards to the evolution of birds, most researchers have long suspected that they evolved from dinosaurs, but again this theory is based on the morphological similarities in bird and dinosaur skeletons. Historically, it was believed that the process of fossilisation destroyed any original protein material found inside bones. However, it has recently been discovered that fossilised bones from extinct taxa harbour the potential for obtaining protein or DNA sequences that could reveal evolutionary links to today?s species. Identifying a relationship between the protein fragment sequences of dinosaurs and birds could allow scientists to positively conclude that the two species are evolutionarily related. Author Details: John Asara PhD, Director, Mass Spectrometry Core Facility, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Instructor in Pathology, Harvard Medical School ?The first challenge facing the research team was gathering enough protein to sequence?