▶ 朗讀全文（中文）
恐龍死了上億年，身體裡的血還能留下來嗎？澳洲科廷大學（Curtin University）領軍的國際研究團隊宣布，他們在一隻 1.15 億年前的恐龍腿骨裡，找到了礦化的紅血球，還驗出紅血球裡的血基質（heme）分子。研究 11 月 2 日刊登在《美國國家科學院院刊》（PNAS）上。
EN Can a dinosaur’s blood survive for more than 100 million years? An international research team led by Curtin University in Australia says it has found mineralized red blood cells inside the leg bone of a 115-million-year-old dinosaur. The team also detected heme molecules inside the cells. The study was published in PNAS on November 2.
▶ 聽英文朗讀
圖片來源：Curtin University
這隻恐龍叫做阿拉塔龍（Aratasaurus museunacionali），是一種體長約 3 公尺的小型肉食獸腳類恐龍，化石在 2008 年從巴西東北部的一座礦場出土。
EN The dinosaur is called Aratasaurus museunacionali. It was a small meat-eating theropod about 3 meters long, and its fossil was dug up from a mine in northeastern Brazil in 2008.
▶ 聽英文朗讀
骨頭小管道裡，塞滿了紅血球
研究人員在阿拉塔龍的右腿骨裡，發現原本供血管通過的細小管道中，有許多橢圓形的小構造，大小、形狀和位置都符合紅血球的特徵。過去也有研究說在化石裡看到「疑似紅血球」，但這次團隊更進一步，用化學方法證明細胞裡真的有來自血紅素的分子，等於直接確認了這是恐龍血液留下的痕跡。
EN Inside the dinosaur’s right leg bone, researchers found many small oval structures in tiny channels where blood vessels once passed. Their size, shape and location all match red blood cells. Earlier studies had also reported “possible red blood cells” in fossils, but this team went further. They used chemical methods to prove that the cells really contain molecules from hemoglobin, which directly confirms that these are traces of dinosaur blood.
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領導研究的科廷大學教授克莉緹・格萊斯（Kliti Grice）說：「在 1.15 億年前的紅血球裡驗出完整的血基質分子，實在太驚人了，這真的是里程碑式的發現。」團隊還在骨頭裡找到膠原蛋白的胺基酸。
EN Professor Kliti Grice of Curtin University, who led the study, said: “Finding complete heme molecules in 115-million-year-old red blood cells is amazing. It is truly a milestone discovery.” The team also found amino acids from collagen in the bone.
▶ 聽英文朗讀
科廷大學官方頻道也介紹了這項恐龍血液研究：
影片來源：Curtin University／YouTube
※ 若影片沒有中文字幕，可點播放器右下角的齒輪 → 字幕 → 自動翻譯 → 中文（繁體）。
天然的「時光膠囊」，但也有專家不買單
為什麼能保存這麼久？研究團隊發現，這些紅血球被一種叫「黑錳礦」（hausmannite）的礦物包住，就像天然的時光膠囊，把細胞結構和分子穩穩保存下來。他們推測，這隻恐龍死後很快就被埋進缺氧、微生物豐富的環境，才有這麼特別的保存條件。參與研究的還有日本海洋研究開發機構、巴西國家博物館、卡里里地區大學和美國約翰霍普金斯大學等單位。
EN Why did the cells last so long? The team found that the red blood cells were covered by a mineral called hausmannite. Like a natural time capsule, it kept the cell structures and molecules safe. The researchers believe the dinosaur was buried very soon after it died, in an oxygen-poor place full of microbes, which created these special conditions. Other partners in the study include JAMSTEC in Japan, the National Museum of Brazil, the Regional University of Cariri, and Johns Hopkins University in the US.
▶ 聽英文朗讀
格萊斯教授認為，這項發現挑戰了「血紅素這類分子撐不過漫長地質年代」的舊觀念，未來也許能用分子研究恐龍的代謝和活動力。不過，美國網路媒體報導，一位知名的恐龍軟組織專家對《生命科學》（Live Science）表示，她不認為那些小構造真的是紅血球。到底是不是恐龍的血，科學界接下來應該還會有不少討論。
EN Professor Grice says the discovery challenges the old idea that molecules like hemoglobin cannot survive over long geological time. In the future, scientists may be able to study dinosaurs’ metabolism and activity levels through molecules. However, a US online outlet reported that a well-known expert on dinosaur soft tissue told Live Science she does not believe the small structures are really red blood cells. Scientists will likely keep debating whether this is truly dinosaur blood.
▶ 聽英文朗讀
精選單字
fossil /ˈfɑːsl/ (n.) 化石
例：The fossil was found in a mine in Brazil in 2008.
mineralized /ˈmɪnərəlaɪzd/ (adj.) 礦化的
例：Scientists found mineralized red blood cells in the leg bone.
red blood cell /ˌrɛd ˈblʌd sɛl/ (n.) 紅血球
例：Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body.
molecule /ˈmɑːlɪkjuːl/ (n.) 分子
例：The team detected heme molecules inside the cells.
discovery /dɪˈskʌvəri/ (n.) 發現
例：Professor Grice called it a milestone discovery.
channel /ˈtʃænl/ (n.) 管道；通道
例：The cells were found in tiny channels inside the bone.
vessel /ˈvɛsl/ (n.) 血管；管
例：Blood vessels once passed through these channels.
preserve /prɪˈzɝːv/ (v.) 保存
例：The mineral helped preserve the cells for millions of years.
structure /ˈstrʌktʃɚ/ (n.) 構造；結構
例：The small oval structures look like red blood cells.
challenge /ˈtʃælɪndʒ/ (v.) 挑戰；質疑
例：The study challenges an old idea about fossils.
expert /ˈɛkspɝːt/ (n.) 專家
例：One expert does not believe the structures are blood cells.
debate /dɪˈbeɪt/ (v./n.) 辯論；討論
例：Scientists will keep debating the results.
collagen /ˈkɑːlədʒən/ (n.) 膠原蛋白
例：The team also found amino acids from collagen.
oxygen-poor /ˈɑːksɪdʒən pʊr/ (adj.) 缺氧的
例：The dinosaur was buried in an oxygen-poor place.
