PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Ancient collagen can help identify a “wombat the size of a hippo” in the fossil record

Scientists find new markers to identify species from fragments of fossilized bone and help us understand mysterious megafauna extinctions

2025-06-03
(Press-News.org) What happened to all the megafauna? From moas to mammoths, many large animals went extinct between 50 and 10,000 years ago. Learning why could provide crucial evidence about prehistoric ecosystems and help us understand future potential extinctions. But surviving fossils are often too fragmented to determine the original species, and DNA is not always recoverable, especially in hot or damp environments. Now scientists have isolated collagen peptide markers which allow them to identify three key megafauna that were once present across Australia: a hippo-sized wombat, a giant kangaroo, and a marsupial with enormous claws.  

“The geographic range and extinction date of megafauna in Australia, and potential interaction with early modern humans, is a hotly debated topic,” said Professor Katerina Douka of the University of Vienna, senior author of the article in Frontiers in Mammal Science.  

“The low number of fossils that have been found at paleontological sites across the country means that it is difficult to test hypotheses about why these animals became extinct,” explained first author Dr Carli Peters of the University of Algarve. “Zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry — ZooMS — could increase the number of identified megafauna fossils, but only if collagen peptide markers for these species are available.”  

Walking with giants 

Analyzing the peptides — short chains of amino acids — found in samples of collagen allows scientists to distinguish between different genera of animals, and sometimes between different species. Because collagen preserves better than DNA, this method can be applied successfully in tropical and sub-tropical environments where DNA is unlikely to survive. But most reference markers are for Eurasian species that never lived in other parts of the world. This research develops new reference markers for an Australian context, allowing scientists to glean more information from Australia’s fragmented fossil record.  

“Proteins generally preserve better over longer timescales and in harsh environments than DNA does,” said Peters. “This means that in the context of megafauna extinctions, proteins may still be preserved where DNA is not.” 

The scientists chose to study Zygomaturus trilobus, Palorchestes azael, and Protemnodon mamkurra, three species which could be particularly valuable for understanding megafauna extinctions. Z. trilobus and P. azael are from families of animals that went completely extinct during the Late Quaternary, while P. mamkurra survived long enough that it could potentially have overlapped with humans arriving in Tasmania. Dr Richard Gillespie, a co-author, previously dated the bones to beyond 43,000 years ago. 

“Zygomaturus trilobus was one of the largest marsupials that ever existed — it would have looked like a wombat the size of a hippo,” said Douka. “Protemnodon mamkurra was a giant, slow-moving kangaroo, potentially walking on all fours at times. Palorchestes azael was an unusual-looking marsupial that possessed a skull with highly retracted nasals and a long protrusible tongue, strong forelimbs, and enormous claws. If the early modern humans who entered Sahul — the palaeocontinent that connected present-day Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania 55,000 years ago — came across them, they would have certainly got a big surprise.” 

Markers of the past 

The scientists ruled out any contaminants and compared the peptide markers they found to reference markers. The collagen in all three samples was well-preserved enough for the team to identify suitable peptide markers for all three species.  

Using these markers, the team were able to differentiate Protemnodon from five living genera and one extinct genus of kangaroos. They were also able to distinguish Zygomaturus and Palorchestes from other living and extinct large marsupials, but they couldn’t differentiate the two species from each other. This is not unusual with ZooMS, since changes in collagen accumulate extremely slowly, over millions of years of evolution. Unless further research allows for more specificity, these markers are best used to identify bones at the genus level rather than the species.  

However, the ability to tell apart genera from more temperate regions of Sahul does present an opportunity to try to identify bones found in more tropical areas, where closely-related species — which are likely to have similar or even the same peptide markers — would have lived. DNA rarely preserves over time in these regions. 

“By using the newly developed collagen peptide markers, we can begin identifying a larger number of megafauna remains in Australian paleontological assemblages,” said Peters. “However, there are a lot more species for which collagen peptide markers still need to be characterized. Two examples would be Diprotodon, the largest marsupial genus to have ever existed, and Thylacoleo, the largest marsupial predator.” 

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Being in nature can help people with chronic back pain manage their condition

2025-06-03
ing time in or around nature can provide people suffering from chronic lower back pain with a degree of escapism that helps them better manage their physical discomfort, a new study has shown. The research, published in The Journal of Pain, is the first of its kind to ask people experiencing chronic lower back pain – in some cases for almost 40 years – about the role nature plays in any coping strategies they employ to help manage their condition. The researchers found that people able to get out in nature said it enabled them to connect with ...

Eating rate has sustained effects on energy intake from ultra-processed diets, new study reveals

2025-06-03
Brussels, Belgium — 2 June 2025 — A randomized controlled trial (RCT) carried out by researchers from Wageningen University, the Netherlands, has provided new evidence that texture-derived differences in meal eating rate influence energy intake from diets composed of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Over a 14-day period, participants consuming a UPF diet with textures that reduced their eating rate, had an average energy intake reduction of 369 kcal per day, compared to when they followed a 14-day UPF diet with textures that promoted a faster ...

Rise in expectant mothers in UK with autoimmune diseases since millennium

2025-06-02
Thousands more UK women who are having children have been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition now compared to the beginning of the millennium. In a paper published in Lancet Rheumatology today, researchers involved in the MuM-PreDiCT project run by the University of Birmingham and funded by the Medical Research Council have found that there has been increase by 4.7% in expectant mothers beginning pregnancy with autoimmune conditions. Analysis of electronic healthcare records (CPRD) taken from 2000-2021 found that there was a ...

Majority of riders and drivers in UK 'gig economy' suffer anxiety over ratings and pay, study suggests

2025-06-02
Some two-thirds of riders and drivers for food delivery and ride-hailing apps in the UK may work in fear of “unfair feedback” and experience anxiety over sudden changes to working hours, a new survey study led by the University of Cambridge suggests.* Three-quarters of riders and drivers in the study report anxiety over potential for income to drop, with over half (51%) saying they risk health and safety while working. Some 42% of delivery and driver gig workers say they suffer physical pain resulting from work. Riders ...

Virginia Tech researchers develop recyclable, healable electronics

2025-06-02
Between upgrades and breakdowns to cellphones, tablets, laptops, and appliances, so many electronics are getting tossed in the trash that they've taken on a name of their own: e-waste. According to a 2024 report issued by the United Nations, the amount of e-waste worldwide has almost doubled in the past 12 years, from 34 billion to 62 billion kilograms — the equivalent of 1.55 million shipping trucks — and it's estimated to hit 82 billion kilograms by 2030. Just 13.8 billion kilograms — about 20 percent of the total — is expected to be recycled, a number ...

Cognitive outcomes similar after noncardiac surgery whether perioperative hypotension- or hypertension-avoidance strategies employed

2025-06-02
Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 2 June 2025    Follow @Annalsofim on X, Facebook, Instagram, threads, and Linkedin         Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent.    ----------------------------       Cognitive ...

Research spotlight: regional disparities in opioid overdose mortality persist despite national decline

2025-06-02
Sarah Wakeman, MD, Senior Medical Director for Substance Use Disorder at Mass General Brigham, is the co-senior author and Will Oles, BS, of Harvard Medical School, is a corresponding author of a paper published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, “Geographic Trends in Opioid and Polysubstance Overdose Deaths in the US, 2014-2023.”  Q: How would you summarize your study for a lay audience?  In May 2024, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced a national decline in the ...

Fighting myeloma with fiber: Plant-based diet offers promise

2025-06-02
Results from a new clinical trial suggest that a high-fiber plant-based diet could benefit patients at risk for developing multiple myeloma, the second most common type of blood cancer. The study showed that the diet was not only feasible and well-received but also improved several factors that could potentially delay the progression of precancerous conditions that can lead to multiple myeloma.     Multiple myeloma is often preceded by early, non-cancerous conditions involving abnormal plasma cells, a type of white blood cell found in the bone marrow. Having a high body weight, ...

What makes someone leave a Medicare Advantage plan?

2025-06-02
More than half of older Americans now get their Medicare coverage through an insurance company’s Medicare Advantage plan. But many go on to switch plans or even leave for traditional Medicare when Open Enrollment comes around each autumn. Researchers have had a hard time getting access to data that could help them understand what drives these changes, which have major implications for federal spending on Medicare as well as individuals’ health. Now, a new study in the June issue of Health Affairs peels back the curtain on what motivates people to switch ...

ASCO: New antibody-drug conjugate shows promising safety and response rates for patients with rare blood cancer

2025-06-02
Blastic plasmacytoid dendric cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare, aggressive blood cancer that often involves the bone marrow, skin and, sometimes, lymph nodes. First-in-class antibody-drug conjugate, pivekimab sunirine (PVEK), was safe and effective. PVEK achieved an overall response rate of 85% and complete response rate of 70% as frontline treatment in newly diagnosed patients with BPDCN. Findings suggest this treatment should be considered as a new standard of care for these patients. ABSTRACT: 6502  CHICAGO, JUNE 2, 2025 ― The first-in-class ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Following the tracks of an extremely adaptive bacterium

New ‘designer drugs’ pose growing threat to road safety in the US

Tackling depressive symptoms in high school students by honing emotional and social skills

One in five US foods and drinks contain synthetic dyes, study shows

One in five packaged foods and drinks sold in the United States contains synthetic dyes, study shows

Large global study links severe bleeding after childbirth to increased risk of cardiovascular disease

Breaking the silence about men breaking bones

More sex, less pain and irritation for perimenopausal and postmenopausal women

New review highlights histone and non-histone lysine lactylation: From molecular mechanisms to therapeutic frontiers

Boson sampling finds first practical applications in quantum AI

Add a twist to π-molecules! A new design strategy for organic semiconductor materials

Bushfire evacuation simulator wins prestigious US prize

Desert lichen offers new evidence for the possibility of life on other planets

Researchers reveal how brain amplifies perception of pain from multiple sources

The first “SpongeBooster of the Year” award celebrates efforts in wetland restoration

AI innovation at UBC Okanagan helps shipping ports see what’s coming—literally

Autoimmune disease linked to doubling in depression, anxiety, bipolar risks

Emotional demands and confrontation in person-contact roles linked to heightened type 2 diabetes risk

UK annual cost of dog walkers’ hand/wrist injuries estimated to top £23 million

The Lancet: Life-saving childhood vaccination coverage has stalled in recent decades, leaving millions of children at risk for deadly diseases

MD Anderson achieves sixth Magnet designation in recognition of nursing excellence

A unified theory of the mind

UTA powers smarter microgrids with new converter tech

US$53,000 essay competition asks: "How Quantum is Life?"

New combination therapy for rheumatoid arthritis: Targeting M6A methylation pathways

Editorial for the special issue on carbon capture, utilization, and storage

'A more versatile and powerful foundation for future photonic technologies'

World’s soft coral diversity retains signature of an ancient, vanished sea

Scientists use gene editing to correct harmful mitochondrial mutations in human cells

The evolution from reptile-like to upright posture in mammals was highly dynamic and complex

[Press-News.org] Ancient collagen can help identify a “wombat the size of a hippo” in the fossil record
Scientists find new markers to identify species from fragments of fossilized bone and help us understand mysterious megafauna extinctions