Unexpected exoskeleton remnants found in Palaeozoic fossils
Surprising new research shows that, contrary to conventional belief, remains of chitin-protein complex - structural materials containing protein and polysaccharide - are present in abundance in fossils of arthropods from the Palaeozoic era. Previously the oldest molecular signature of chitin-protein complex was discovered in 25 million year old Cenozoic fossils and remnants of structural protein have also been discovered in 80 million-year-old Mesozoic fossils. Carnegie's George Cody and an international team of scientists discovered relicts of protein-chitin complex in fossils of arthropods from the Palaeozoic era. Their findings, published online by Geology, could have major implications for our understanding of the organic fossil record...