Dinosaur brain tissue discovered for first time

For the first time in the history of mankind, a brain tissue of a dinosaur has been confirmed. According to the analysis on fossils discovered at Sussex, the U.K. in 2004, a research team led by Dr. David Norman from the University of Cambridge announced on Thursday (local time) that it was found to be a brain tissue of a dinosaur, which existed 133 million years ago.

Until now, dinosaur bones were often discovered in the form of fossils, but no brain tissues had been found as they were smooth and fast-decomposing. The recent discovery is meaningful that the cerebral structure of a dinosaur can be confirmed directly from fossil traits - an area which remained in the shadows until now, with only estimates of a brain by analyzing fossils from other parts.

Dr. Norman and his team were able to discover the brain fossil, as the head of the dinosaur sank in a water where it showed rarely no oxygen with high level of acidity. In a nutshell, the head was "treated with natural preservatives."

The research team also estimated that the brain fossil belonged to iguanodon. Iguanodon was herbivorous dinosaur, which lived during the Cretaceous Period (133 million years ago), with 9 meters in length and 3 tons in weight.

The team proved the existence of the remaining parts of the brain after taking a closer observation on the fossil using the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Based on the findings, the team explained that the brain of an iguanodon resembled that of the existing bird or crocodile.

신수빈 동아사이언스기자sbshin@donga.com