Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific developments and more.
A 280-million-year-old fossil thought to be a well-preserved example of an ancient reptile is largely a forgery, according to new research.
The fossil, first discovered in the Italian Alps in 1931, has the scientific name Tridentinosaurus antiquus. Scientists thought the dark, deep outlines of the lizard-like body encased in the rocks were skin and soft tissue, and they viewed the fossil as a puzzle piece for understanding the early evolution of reptiles.
The fossil appeared in book and article citations over the decades, but no one has ever studied it in detail. The relic, housed in the collections of the Museum of Nature and Humanity of the University of Padua in Italy, raised many questions about the exact nature of the creature it was in life, while no additional, comparable specimens could be found .
A new, detailed analysis has revealed that the fossil’s dark color is not preserved genetic material; it’s just black paint covering some bones and carved rocks. The researchers behind the study reported their findings Feb. 15 in the journal Paleontology.
“The body contours of this fossil specimen are the same color as real fossilized soft tissues of plants and also of animals,” said lead study author Dr. Valentina Rossi, postdoctoral researcher in paleobiology at University College Cork in Ireland, said in an email. “Without the use of diagnostic techniques it was therefore impossible to properly identify the dark-colored material.”
The revelation highlights the new knowledge that can be gained by re-examining ancient and previously studied fossil specimens in museum collections using the latest technological methods.
Revealing a forgery
Reptiles first appeared between the Carboniferous and Permian periods, about 310 million to 320 million years ago. But understanding the evolution of these scaly vertebrates depends on what paleontologists unearth in the fossil record, and the diversity of the earliest reptilian animals is still a gap in knowledge that researchers are trying to fill.
Even rarer among ancient finds are fossils containing soft tissue, which has the potential to harbor crucial biological information such as DNA.
When the specimen was discovered, researchers thought the fossil could provide a rare glimpse into the evolution of reptiles.
“The fossil was thought to be unique because there were no other examples from the same geographic area and geological period of that preservation in a fossil vertebrate at the time,” Rossi said.
But the color of the supposed skin was similar to what had been observed in fossil plants found in similar rocks, Rossi said.
There were oddities about the find, such as a general lack of visible bones, including the skull bones, despite the fact that the body did not appear completely flat. So the initial guess was that the specimen was essentially a mummy of an ancient reptile.
“A plausible explanation was that the bones were hidden under the layer of skin and therefore not visible,” Rossi said. “There are few examples of dinosaur mummies where, like human mummies, the bones are still wrapped in the skin, which is preserved in 3D.”
Intrigued by the growing uncertainty surrounding the fossil, Rossi and her colleagues began their research in 2021 by examining it with ultraviolet photography. The analysis showed that the sample was covered in a thick layer, Rossi said.
“Covering fossils with varnish is an age-old preservation method, because in the past there were no other suitable methods to protect fossils from natural decay,” says co-author Mariagabriella Fornasiero, curator of paleontology at the Museum of Nature and Humanity, in a research. rack.
Hoping to find biological information about the fossil beneath the coating, the team used high-powered microscopes to analyze samples of the remains across different wavelengths of light.
Instead, the researchers determined that the outline of the body had been carved into the rock and painted with “animal charcoal,” a commercial pigment used about 100 years ago that was made by burning animal bones. The carving also explained why the specimen seemed to retain such a lifelike shape, rather than looking flatter like a real fossil.
“The answer to all our questions was right in front of us, we had to study this fossil specimen in detail to reveal its secrets – even the secrets we may not have wanted to know,” Rossi said.
The result was unexpected, but it explains why the fossil puzzled researchers for decades. The latest research confirms that it “is not the oldest mummy in the world,” co-author Evelyn Kustatscher, curator of paleontology at the South Tyrol Museum of Nature in Bolzano, Italy, and coordinator of the research project, said in a statement.
Old secrets and new questions
Intriguingly, there are real bones in the fossil. The hind legs, although in poor condition, are real, and there are also traces of osteoderms or scale-like structures. Now the researchers are trying to determine the exact age of the bones and which animal they belonged to. The team is also studying the rock, which may also contain insightful details from 280 million years ago.
It’s not the first time a fossil forgery has been discovered, but Rossi said this particular style of forgery is unusual.
“The only fossil I know of that is painted on rocks is a fossilized crayfish that was made to look like a giant spider,” Rossi said. “However, in this particular case, the type of paint was not identified, but I would bet it is carbon-based, similar to what we found on our fossil.”
Given the lack of documentation accompanying the fossil, including a description of what exactly was found in 1931, Rossi and her team cannot be completely certain that the forgery was done deliberately.
“We believe that because some of the bones are visible, someone tried to uncover a larger part of the skeleton, excavating more or less where someone would expect to find the rest of the animal,” Rossi said. “The lack of proper tools for preparing the hard rock did not help and the application of the paint may have ultimately been a way of embellishing the final work. Whether this was all intentional or not, it has unfortunately misled many experts in interpreting this fossil as exceptionally preserved.”
Using advanced techniques to study fossils can reveal their true nature, Rossi said.
“It is fundamental that research uses new methods to take a closer look at finds that have already been examined,” said co-author Fabrizio Nestola, professor of mineralogy and chairman of the University Center for Museums at the University of Padua, in a statement.
“Tridentinosaurus is an example of how science can reveal ancient secrets – and how new questions can arise from them,” Nestola added. “It is then the task of our museum to process the newly acquired knowledge and bring it to the public in order to lead a scientific and cultural debate.”
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com