News by Levels · Level 3 · Student worksheet

Ancient Dinosaur Bone Yields Possible Blood Cell Traces

Name: __________________________ Date: __________________

Read the story

Researchers studying a 115-million-year-old dinosaur fossil from Brazil have reported microscopic structures that they interpret as possible mineralised red blood cell remains. The leg bone belonged to Aratasaurus and was recovered from a mine in 2008.

The team identified chemical signatures of heme, a component associated with the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. The new study appeared in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The findings do not amount to intact blood cells: they involve mineralised structures and chemical traces. ABC News reports that independent researcher Mary Schweitzer was not convinced by the evidence that the structures were blood cells, while another expert urged caution.

The authors propose that conditions involving microbes and minerals helped preserve the traces. Further examination and replication could clarify their origins.

Source: ABC News, 2026-11-03. https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2026-11-03/signs-of-mineralised-molecules-from-dinosaurs-red-blood-cell/107335770

Read and practise

1. How do the study authors interpret the microscopic structures?

   1. As possible mineralised red blood cell remains
   2. As confirmed intact red blood cells
   3. As mineralised traces of microbes in the bone

2. What did independent researcher Mary Schweitzer say about the evidence?

   1. She confirmed that the structures were intact blood cells.
   2. She said that no chemical traces were found in the bone.
   3. She was not convinced the structures were blood cells.

3. What do the authors propose helped preserve the traces?

   1. The absence of minerals during fossilisation
   2. Conditions involving microbes and minerals
   3. Only exposure to modern air after discovery

Your turn

Contrast the authors’ interpretation with one independent expert’s view and explain what might clarify the finding.

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Read online: https://newsbylevels.com/news/aratasaurus-dinosaur-fossil-possible-blood-cell-traces-2026/level-3/