{"id":294589,"date":"2025-11-11T10:59:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T08:59:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/tygerburger\/?p=294589"},"modified":"2025-11-11T11:30:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T09:30:33","slug":"dinosaur-eggshells-unlock-a-new-way-to-tell-time-in-the-fossil-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/tygerburger\/dinosaur-eggshells-unlock-a-new-way-to-tell-time-in-the-fossil-record\/","title":{"rendered":"Dinosaur eggshells unlock a new way to tell time in the fossil record"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An international team of geologists and paleontologists is pioneering a groundbreaking method to reliably determine the age of fossil-bearing rocks \u2014 by directly dating fossilized dinosaur eggshells. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study, led by Dr Ryan Tucker from Stellenbosch University\u2019s (SU) Department of Earth Sciences, was published in Communications Earth & Environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many fossil sites around the world are only coarsely dated. Without precise information on the geologic age of fossils, paleontologists struggle to understand how different species and ecosystems relate across time and space. Usually, researchers rely on dating minerals such as zircon or apatite found associated with fossils, but those minerals aren\u2019t always present. Attempts to date the fossils themselves, such as bones or teeth, have often produced uncertain results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New method developed<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dr Tucker\u2019s team, consisting of MSc student Kira Venter and Prof Cristiano Lana from the elemental and isotope analysis laboratory at the university took a different approach. They used advanced uranium\u2013lead dating and elemental mapping to measure trace amounts of uranium and lead housed inside the calcite of fossilized dinosaur eggshells. These isotopes function like a natural clock, enabling scientists to determine when the eggs were buried. See video https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Mn-9MP-sDhw<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This team from SU developed a novel method to age-date fossilized dinosaur eggs, using a neoma multi-collector, inductively coupled plasma, mass spectrometer instrument, hosted in the elemental and isotope analysis laboratory in SU\u2019s Department of Earth Sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/
The team from Stellenbosch University are from left to right, Prof Cristiano Lana, MSc student Kira Venter, and Dr Ryan Tucker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A trip to the Gobi desert<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tests on dinosaur eggs from Utah (USA) and the Gobi desert (Mongolia) showed that the eggshells record ages with an accuracy of about five percent relative to precise volcanic-ash dates. In Mongolia, the team determined the first-ever direct age \u2014 around 75 million years old \u2014 for a historic locality preserving dinosaur eggs and nests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEggshell calcite is remarkably versatile,\u201d says Dr Tucker. \u201cIt gives us a new way to date fossil sites where volcanic layers are missing, a challenge that has limited paleontology for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The work involved collaborators from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, North Carolina State University, Colorado School of Mines, Mongolian Academy of Sciences\u2019 Institute of Paleontology, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (Brazil). Fieldwork in Mongolia was carried out through the Mongolian Alliance for Dinosaur Exploration and supported by the National Geographic Society and the National Science Foundation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Direct dating of fossils is a paleontologist\u2019s dream.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

By showing that dinosaur eggshells can reliably record the passage of geologic time, the study links biology and Earth science in a new way \u2014 offering researchers a powerful tool to date fossil sites around the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDirect dating of fossils is a paleontologist\u2019s dream,\u201d says study co-author Lindsay Zanno, associate research professor at North Carolina State University and head of paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. \u201cArmed with this new technique, we can unravel mysteries about dinosaur evolution that used to be insurmountable.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An international team led by Dr. Ryan Tucker at Stellenbosch University has developed a method to accurately date fossilized dinosaur eggshells using uranium-lead dating. This technique provides precise ages for fossil sites lacking volcanic layers, enhancing understanding of dinosaur evolution. Tests revealed the eggshells can date back approximately 75 million 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newly hatched troodontid-like dinosaur resting among fragments of its eggshell (loosely based on Mongolian microtroodontid-type). These eggshells, when buried within ancient soil, interacted with meteoric waters, leading to early uranium incorporation into the eggshell calcite crystals.","article_media_icon":"1","article_template":"news","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"Dinosaur eggshells unlock a new way to tell time in the fossil 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eggshells unlock a new way to tell time in the fossil record | TygerBurger<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore the dinosaur fossil dating method and uncover the secrets of prehistoric life through scientific techniques.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/tygerburger\/dinosaur-eggshells-unlock-a-new-way-to-tell-time-in-the-fossil-record\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dinosaur eggshells unlock a new way to tell time in the fossil record\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Explore the dinosaur fossil dating method and uncover the secrets of prehistoric life through scientific techniques.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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