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Evidence of red bloods cells found in 115 million years old dinosaur’s bones

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Boucher, H. (2026, November 3). Evidence of red bloods cells found in 115 million years old dinosaur’s bones. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/dinosaur-bones-red-blood-cells-brazil-researchers-b3077956.html

Dated from the outlet's own feed. Check the original for its byline.

The Independent · collected 2026-11-03 · by Harriette Boucher

Quick Summary

Scientists have discovered what appear to be red blood cells in 115 million-year-old dinosaur bones from a juvenile meat-eating Aratasaurus found in Brazil. The researchers identified microscopic structures with chemical evidence of their biological origin at the National Museum of Brazil, marking it as a "landmark discovery." Kliti Grice, co-author and chemist, highlights that while they haven't found actual blood, these preserved cells provide insights into dinosaur physiology and could challenge assumptions about molecular preservation over deep time.
Written by AI on 2026-11-03, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Scientists claim to have found traces of what may be fossilized red blood cells in 115 million-year-old dinosaur bones, marking a significant breakthrough in paleontology. The limb bones belong to a Brazilian carnivorous dinosaur named Aratasaurus museunacionali, unearthed from a gypsum mine in Ceará state, northeastern Brazil, and have been stored at the National Museum of Brazil since 2008.

Using advanced imaging techniques and chemical analysis, an international research team led by Kliti Grice from Curtin University in Western Australia identified small, round structures resembling red blood cells within the dinosaur bone's vascular canals. They also detected heme molecules, which are integral to hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen in blood.

While the findings add compelling evidence to the study of soft tissue preservation in fossils and could provide new insights into dinosaur physiology, including metabolism and activity levels, some experts like Mauricio Barbi from the University of Regina advise caution due to the fragile nature of biological molecules over such vast geological timescales.

Written for “Evidence of Blood Cells in Dinosaur Bones” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political question, so it has no leaning score. That is an answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political position.
No political leaning scored for article 124858 · logged 2026-11-03

Story

📰 Evidence of Blood Cells in Dinosaur Bones
Science · 3 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 27% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Fossilised red blood cells found in 115m-year-old dinosaur’s bone, say scientists Same event
The Guardian
Hedges 8 of 26 claims Outlet record 66/100
Molecular traces from 'blood cells' found in 115-million-year-old dinosaur bones Same event
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 4 of 41 claims Outlet record 68/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
15
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
27%
4 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Science
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-11-03 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Harriette Boucher
7 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Ms Grice said further research could help advance the understanding of blood’s evolution, dinosaur metabolism, and activity levels in ancient animals.
2026-11-03 · mixed framing · Evidence of red bloods cells found in 115 million years old dinosaur’s bones
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 7 articles by Harriette Boucher →

Topics

Australia Brazil Ceará Curtin University the National Museum of Brazil

Subjects

Grice PERSON · 3× Australia GPE · 1× Brazil GPE · 1× Ceará GPE · 1× Curtin University ORG · 1× Kliti Grice PERSON · 1× Martin Van Kranendonk PERSON · 1× the National Museum of Brazil ORG · 1× the school of earth and planetary sciences ORG · 1×

Narrative

Researchers have hailed a “landmark discovery” after analysing the limb bones of a juvenile, meat-eating dinosaur called an Aratasaurus and identifying numerous microscopic structures that appear to be fossilised red blood cells.
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-11-03
🔮 Ms Grice said further research could help advance the understanding of blood’s evolution, dinosaur metabolism, and activity levels in ancient animals.
2026-11-03 · The Independent
Evidence of red bloods cells found in 115 million years old dinosaur’s bones · mixed framing

Claims (15 extracted, 4 hedged)

An international team of scientists believe they have found red blood cells in 115 million years old dinosaur bones for the very first time. asserted
they → believe → time
Researchers have hailed a “landmark discovery” after analysing the limb bones of a juvenile, meat-eating dinosaur called an Aratasaurus and identifying numerous microscopic structures that appear to be fossilised red blood cells. asserted
that → hail → structures
The dinosaur bones had been unearthed in a gypsum mine in the Ceará state in northeastern Brazil in 2008 and kept at the National Museum of Brazil where researchers continued to examine them. asserted
researchers → unearth → them
Kliti Grice, the study’s co-author and chemist at Curtin University in Australia, said: “We have not found a vial of dinosaur blood. asserted
We → say → blood
What we are seeing is a mineral and molecular echo of ancient biology, and that is scientifically much more interesting. asserted
that → see → biology
“For me, the most surprising thing is that we can see the structures together with chemical evidence of their biological origin after such enormous geological time. asserted
we → see → time
“To detect intact heme derived molecules in 115-million-year-old red blood cells is astonishing: this really is a landmark discovery.” asserted
this → detect → cells
Ms Grice said further research could help advance the understanding of blood’s evolution, dinosaur metabolism, and activity levels in ancient animals. uncertain
research → say → animals
Researchers added that knowing this type of preservation was possible could also mean similar traces of life may exist elsewhere in the universe. uncertain
traces → add → universe
“These findings challenge longstanding assumptions that certain biomolecules such as haemoglobin cannot survive deep time,” Ms Grice said. asserted
Grice → challenge → time
“It not only extends the known fossil record of blood, but also offers a direct molecular window into the physiology of long-extinct animals so we may better understand them and the world they lived in.” uncertain
they → extend → them
Ms Grice added: “What the work does encourage us to do is keep testing the limits of molecular preservation rather than assuming that all biological information must disappear after a particular length of time.” asserted
information → add → time
Researchers said the bones likely belonged to a four-year-old dinosaur measuring over 10ft long and weighing about 75lbs. asserted
bones → say → 75lbs
Head of the school of earth and planetary sciences, professor Martin Van Kranendonk, said the research redefined how molecular structures could be preserved over long time frames or in hostile conditions. uncertain
structures → say → conditions
“This study exemplifies how coordinated efforts across institutions, continents and scientific disciplines can unlock extraordinary insights into ancient life.” asserted
efforts → exemplify → life
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