They discover the first fossilized brain of a dinosaur

2016/11/15 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Paleontologia
• Eboluzioa
• Arkeologia

In Sussex, England, a special fossil found more than ten years ago is the first fossilized brain of a dinosaur. It is the brain of a relative of iguanodona, 113 million years, where meninges, some blood vessels and surrounding tissues are clearly seen.

A researcher at the University of Cambridge has led the fossil study and the results have been published in a special issue of the London Geological Society. According to the researchers, it is very difficult for soft tissues like the brain to become fossils and is due to the death of this dinosaur in a very acidic medium and little oxygen.

The researchers have studied the fossil structures using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and with the help of researchers from the University of Western Australia, demonstrating that they resemble the brains of the current descendants of dinosaurs. For example, fossils are very similar to meninges of birds and crocodiles.

However, it has differences with respect to them. In fact, the brain of reptiles occupies only half the volume of the skull, it is shaped like a morcilla and is surrounded by a dense network of blood vessels. However, it seems that the dinosaur brain was in contact with the skull. However, the researchers have warned that from there, it cannot be deduced to what extent they had intelligence.