Re: Dinosaur haemoglobin

[jamolnar@juno.com]

On Fri, 1 Aug 1997 15:42:53 +0800 Graeme Worth
<endocrin@opera.iinet.net.au> writes:
>These guys extracted proteins from MOR 555 T. rex, collected from Hell 
>Creek
>F in 1990, raised antibodies to these proteins in a couple of rats and 
>then
>tested the rat serum against various known haemoglobins. Positive 
>reactions
>from pigeon, turkey and rabbit, negative with snake. 
>Early results, but if they hold up it would seem to be yet another
>confirmation of the dinosaur-bird connection (what a pity they didn't 
>check
>against crocodile, turtle etc!!). They suggest that finding 
>identifiable
>proteins (or fragments) from within bones that have not been 
>contaminated
>may not be uncommon. They point out that phylogenies based on 
>heamoglobin
>sequences are already in existence and speculate that such material 
>may
>eventually provide answers to many classification problems. 
>Fascinating!
>Graeme Worth
>HyperWorks Reference Software
>
>
Did the positive rabbit reaction indicate possible human [or other
mammalian] contamination?  How did they eliminate the possibility of this
contamination?

And why such a limited test (with only 4 animals) when so many
hemoglobins are available?

Judy Molnar
Education Associate, Virginia Living Museum
vlmed@juno.com
jamolnar@juno.com
All questions are valid; all answers are tentative.