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In 2025 researchers recovered proteins from the tooth enamel of a rhino relative that lived up to 24 million years ago — shattering the old limit for how far back such molecules survive.

Nature (2025)

ScienceNature

Why it matters

The idea in context

The enamel came from a fossil in Canada's High Arctic, where deep cold preserved the fragile molecules. Proteins had previously been read back only about 3.5 million years, and DNA only around 2 million. Because enamel is the hardest tissue in the body, it may become a time machine for studying creatures long past the reach of ancient DNA.

Türkçe

Aynı kart, başka bir dilde.

2025'te araştırmacılar, 24 milyon yıl önce yaşamış bir gergedan akrabasının diş minesinden protein elde etti — bu tür moleküllerin ne kadar geriye dek dayandığına dair eski sınırı paramparça etti.
Nature (2025)

Mine, kırılgan molekülleri derin soğuğun koruduğu Kanada'nın Yüksek Arktik bölgesindeki bir fosilden geldi. Proteinler daha önce yalnızca yaklaşık 3,5 milyon yıl, DNA ise yaklaşık 2 milyon yıl geriye okunabilmişti. Mine vücudun en sert dokusu olduğundan, eski DNA'nın erişemeyeceği kadar geçmişteki canlıları incelemek için bir zaman makinesine dönüşebilir.

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Background reading: PaleoproteomicsAttribution and context are revised when stronger evidence appears. Corrections are welcome through the editorial page.
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