The case in summary Tridentinosaurus antiquus, a fossil discovered in the Italian Alps in 1931, has now been revealed as a partial forgery. The fossil, which has long puzzled scientists, was originally interpreted as a well-preserved example of soft tissue. New research shows that what was interpreted as skin and soft tissue is actually black paint. The fossil has been treated with a coating, which was previously common practice for preserving fossils. New analyzes have also revealed small bony shells called osteoderms on the fossil, similar to the shells of crocodiles. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. A 280-million-year-old fossil has long caused headaches among paleontologists. Discovered in the Italian Alps in 1931, Tridentinosaurus antiquus was regarded as an important specimen for understanding the evolution of reptiles. The outline, which has a dark color, was originally interpreted as well-preserved soft tissue. This led to the reptile being classified as a member of the group Protorosauria. But now new research reveals something quite different. Because what was thought to be skin and soft tissue turns out to be black paint. Yet the ancient reptile is only partially fake. Got answers they didn’t want The alleged fossilized skin of the ancient reptile in the Alps has received a lot of attention. Both in articles and books. But it has never been studied in detail. The somewhat strange preservation of the fossil has left many experts uncertain as to which group of reptiles this lizard-like animal actually belongs to. Dr. Valentina Rossi has led the new work. She is employed at University College Cork in Ireland. – The answer to all the questions we had was right in front of us. We had to study this specimen in detail to reveal its secrets – even the ones we didn’t want to know about. The analysis showed that the texture and composition of the material did not correspond to a real fossilized soft tissue. Dr. Rossi says so in a press release. The new results have been published in the journal Palaeontology. Dr. Valentina Rossi holds up a photo of the fossil in question. Photo: Zixiao Yang Artificially created Fossils are naturally buried remains, imprints or traces of organisms. These are preserved in soil, sand or stone layers. They include, among other things, shells, bones, teeth, plant remains and impressions from the organisms’ activity. Fossil soft tissues are rare and can reveal important biological information. For example, about the animal’s internal anatomy and physiology. Preliminary investigations carried out using UV photography now show that the sample in question from the Alps has been treated with some kind of coating. In the past, it was not uncommon for fossils to be treated with varnish, explains Dr. Rossi. The researchers still had hope that the original soft tissue could be found under the coating. But the findings indicate something else: The body outline of this fossil must have been artificially created – probably to improve its appearance, the researchers write. It has been difficult to explain Jørn Harald Hurum is a professor at the Norwegian Center for Paleontology. He thinks the case is a bit funny. – It is a bit funny that scientists have been deceived for so long, but it has not been a very important fossil. Just strange, he says to news. Hurum says that it has been difficult to explain that this storage should be found in such a limestone, when all other fossils in the same layer have been without skin. – But why has it taken so long to find good answers? – It has not been important enough for anyone to have spent time and analysis costs on it, replies the professor. He says it is not unusual for falsified fossils. – They are not that when they are found, but fossils that have been in museum collections for hundreds of years are sometimes falsified. Jørn Hurum is a Norwegian paleontologist who is particularly known from a number of excavations of fossils. Photo: Annabel Staff/National Geographic Found similarities with crocodiles But not everything of value should be lost. For the Italian fossil is not a complete forgery. The bones of the hind legs, especially the femurs, appear real, according to the researchers. Although they are poorly preserved. In addition, the new analyzes have made discoveries of tiny bone shells called osteoderms. This is similar to the scales of crocodiles. This study is an example of how modern analytical paleontology and scientific methods can solve an almost century-old mystery, says Dr. Rossi.
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The oldest fossil found of a reptile in the Alps is fake – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
