Oldest Proteins Ever Found! 🦏

Dear reader,

The past days our editor Anthony was out to Konstanz for a PhD interview - let’s wish him luck!

Now, we are back with proteomics and rhino family tree.

Let’s get into it →

Ancient Proteins Rewrite Rhino Family Tree—Are Dinosaurs Next?

Researchers have sequenced proteins from teeth of extinct mammals, pushing the record for the oldest reliably identified proteins beyond 20 million years. Two groundbreaking studies, published in Nature, successfully extracted protein sequences from rhino relatives and other mammals preserved in harsh environments, including the Arctic and the scorching Turkana Basin in Kenya.

These findings dramatically revise the rhino evolutionary tree, showing the lineage of a newly identified rhino species (Epiaceratherium itjilik) diverged earlier than previously thought. This suggests ancient proteins, tougher and more stable than DNA, may unlock mysteries even older than current genetic limits—potentially reaching back to dinosaurs.

Our take: Proteomics technologies are often 10-15 years behind the technologies for genomics. Yet, proteomic is also a nice angle to study genetics and evolution.

Proteins are more robust, enduring in fossils where DNA typically degrades, thus providing a deeper molecular window into evolutionary history.

Takeaways

Why It Matters

Evolutionary Insight: Ancient proteins enable scientists to revise and clarify evolutionary relationships far beyond the limits of DNA analysis.

Technical Breakthrough: Demonstrating protein preservation in extreme climates greatly expands the potential geographic and temporal scope for palaeoproteomic studies.

Future Potential:
These findings open the door for further discoveries about biological sex, diet, and deeper evolutionary mysteries—including the tantalizing possibility of sequencing proteins from dinosaur remains.

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