>> THE MOVIE "JURASSIC PARK" IS
A SCIENCE FICTION THRILLER,
SCIENTISTS CLONING DINOSAUR DNA
AND CREATING MODERN-DAY
MONSTERS.
BUT THIS PALEONTOLOGIST AT NORTH
CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY IS THE
FIRST PERSON TO DISCOVER WHAT
MAY BE REAL DINOSAUR DNA.
MARY SCHWEITZER RECEIVED FOSSILS
FROM THE BADLANDS OF MONTANA OF
A 68-MILLION-YEAR-OLD
TYRANNOSAURUS REX.
WHEN SHE LOOKED AT A SECTION OF
THIGHBONE, SHE WAS STUNNED.
IT LOOKS LIKE A FEMALE T-REX,
AND NONE HAD EVER BEEN FOUND
BEFORE.
AND IT WASN'T JUST ANY FEMALE.
IT APPEARED TO BE PREGNANT.
HOW COULD SHE TELL?
BECAUSE PREGNANT DINOSAURS, LIKE
THEIR COUSINS, BIRDS, ARE
BELIEVED TO DEVELOP SPECIAL
TISSUE THAT HELPS BUILD THEIR
EGGS.
>> THAT TISSUE WAS PRESENT ON
THIS T-REX, SO I PICKED UP THIS
PIECE AND I LOOKED AT IT AND I
SAID, IT'S A GIRL, AND IT'S
PREGNANT.
>> LITTLE DID SCHWEITZER KNOW
THAT DISCOVERY WOULD PALE IN
COMPARISON TO WHAT SHE WOULD
EVENTUALLY STUMBLE UPON --
THE WORLD'S FIRST FOSSIL SOFT
TISSUE EVER.
THAT WOULD BE EARTH-SHATTERING,
BECAUSE NO ONE BELIEVED SOFT
TISSUE COULD SURVIVE OVER
MILLIONS OF YEARS, SO NO ONE,
INCLUDING SCHWEITZER, EVEN
BOTHERED LOOKING FOR IT.
>> THINKING LIKE EVERYONE ELSE,
THERE'S NO ORGANICS PRESENT IN
DINOSAUR BONE.
>> ALL SCHWEITZER WANTED TO DO
WAS ETCH AWAY THE MINERALS
AROUND THAT FOSSIL TISSUE TO
CONFIRM HER PREGNANCY DIAGNOSIS.
SHE TOLD HER LAB ASSISTANT TO
PUT IT IN AN ACID SOLUTION FOR A
VERY SHORT TIME.
>> I DON'T WANT TO DISSOLVE IT
ALL THE WAY.
LET'S JUST ETCH IT.
WELL, IT -- IT GOT LEFT IN THE
SOLUTION TOO LONG, AND WHEN MY
TECHNICIAN WENT TO PICK IT UP,
IT WENT --
[SOUND EFFECTS]
>> SO IT WAS A MISTAKE!
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> HERE'S WHAT SHE FOUND.
TISSUE THAT WAS SOFT AND
STRETCHY, NOT A HARDENED FOSSIL.
SHE ALSO FOUND TRANSLUCENT BLOOD
VESSELS THAT LOOKED JUST LIKE
ONES FROM A MODERN OSTRICH.
SCHWEITZER COULDN'T BELIEVE HER
EYES.
>> I -- I WAS SCARED TO DEATH.
I HAD GOOSE BUMPS AND I TOLD MY
TECH, I SAID, THIS ISN'T REAL.
THIS CAN'T HAPPEN.
DO IT AGAIN.
WE DID IT, I THINK, 17 TIMES
BEFORE I WAS READY TO GO PUBLIC.
WITH IT.
YEAH.
>> SHE PUBLISHED HER FINDINGS IN
"SCIENCE" MAGAZINE, AND ONCE
WORD GOT AROUND, IT IGNITED A
FIRESTORM WITH YOUNG EARTH
PROPONENTS SAYING IT PROVED
DINOSAURS WEREN'T OLD AFTER ALL.
SKEPTICAL SCIENTISTS SAID IT
CAN'T BE SOFT TISSUE BECAUSE
THERE'S NO WAY IT CAN SURVIVE
THAT LONG.
>> IF EVERYBODY WHO'S A HECK OF
A LOT SMARTER THAN ME SAYS THIS
CAN'T LAST, WHY IS IT THERE?
>> SO SCHWEITZER STARTED DIGGING
SOME MORE AND ONCE AGAIN ANOTHER
BRILLIANT ACCIDENT HAPPENED.
SHE ATTENDED A LECTURE ON
ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND HEARD
THAT THOSE WITH ALZHEIMER'S HAVE
MORE IRON IN THEIR BRAIN THAN
NORMAL PEOPLE.
IRON WREAKS HAVOC ON BRAINS BY
TYING PROTEIN UP IN KNOTS AND
CUTTING OFF BRAIN CONNECTIONS.
IN FACT, IT WORKS THE WAY
FORMALDEHYDE DOES TO PREVENT
TISSUE FROM BEING ERODED.
>> IF IRON CAN TRIGGER PROTEINS
FORMING KNOTS IN HUMAN BEINGS,
MAYBE IT CAN ACT THE SAME WAY IN
OUR FOSSILS.
>> BLOOD IS RICH IN IRON, SO SHE
TOOK BLOOD VESSELS FROM OSTRICH
AND CHICKEN BONES AND SOAKED
THEM IN BIRD BLOOD OR
HEMOGLOBIN.
SHE SOAKED OTHERS IN WATER.
THEN SHE WAITED A WHILE AND
COMPARED THEM.
>> MOST OF THE VESSELS THAT WERE
NOT TREATED WITH HEMOGLOBIN OR
JUST DISINTEGRATING AFTER ABOUT
THREE DAYS.
THE ONES THAT WE SOAKED IN
HEMOGLOBIN ARE STILL SITTING IN
THE LAB AT ROOM TEMPERATURE.
NOTHING HAPPENED.
>> SHE BELIEVES ONCE THE
DINOSAUR DIED, THE IRON WAS
RELEASED AND LOCKED UP THAT
TISSUE.
AS THE ANIMAL TURNED INTO
FOSSIL, IT BECAME ENCASED IN
STONE AND REMAINED UNDISTURBED
FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS.
SHE AND HER TEAM RAN MORE
CHEMICAL TESTS ON THAT TISSUE
AND CAME UP WITH A HINT OF JOY
JURASSIC PARK, A TRACE OF
POSSIBLE DINOSAUR DNA.
>> WE WERE ABLE TO SHOW THAT
THERE'S SOMETHING INSIDE THOSE
CELLS THAT'S CHEMICALLY
CONSISTENT WITH DNA.
IT REACTS TO DNA STAINS, AND IT
REACTS TO ANTI-DNA ANTIBODIES
THE SAME WAY MODERN CELLS DO,
ONLY GREATLY REDUCED IN
ABUNDANCE.
>> IS IT DNA?
>> DON'T KNOW.
AND, YOU KNOW --
>> CAN YOU FIND OUT IF IT WAS
DNA?
>> YEAH.
EVEN IF IT IS DNA, THOUGH, IF
YOU CAN'T SEQUENCE IT, IT REALLY
DOESN'T HAVE MUCH VALUE.
>> THAT'S BECAUSE YOU WOULD NEED
ALL THE DNA CHROMOSOMES TO CLONE
A T-REX, AND NOBODY EVEN KNOWS
HOW MANY THEY HAD.
AND WHAT WOULD YOU CLONE IT IN?
AN OSTRICH?
>> THERE ARE SO MANY BARRIERS TO
IT THAT I JUST DON'T THINK --
I'M NOT GOING TO SAY NEVER,
BECAUSE TECHNOLOGY CHANGES
RAPIDLY, BUT I THINK IT'S HIGHLY
UNLIKELY.
>> SO HIGHLY UNLIKELY WE'RE
GOING TO HAVE A REAL JURASSIC
PARK.
>> HIGHLY UNLIKELY.
>> BUT HER STUNNING FINDINGS
HAVE LAUNCHED A MANHUNT FOR MORE
SOFT TISSUE IN EXISTING FOSSILS.
SHE'S ALREADY FOUND SEVERAL
OTHER EXAMPLES AND BELIEVES WE
COULD HELP MODERN ANIMALS BY
UNDERSTANDING HOW ANCIENT ONES
ADAPTED TO THEIR ENVIRONMENT.
SHE HOPES ONE DAY TO FIND A
COMPLETELY INTACT T-REX FOSSIL.
BUT EVEN IF SHE DOESN'T, SHE'S
ALREADY FOUND MORE THAN MOST
SCIENTISTS COULD EVER DREAM OF.
SHE LAUGHS THAT IT CAME AS THE
RESULT OF A MISTAKE, WHICH
PROVES THE OLD ADAGE, IT'S
BETTER TO BE LUCKY THAN GOOD.
BUT SHE'S ALSO PROVED WITH HARD
WORK AND DEDICATION IN THE FACE
OF ADVERSITY, THE OTHER HALF OF
THAT SAYING --
YOU'VE GOT TO BE GOOD TO KNOW
WHEN YOU'RE LUCKY.
SO MANY GREAT SCIENTIFIC
DISCOVERIES HAVE COME ABOUT
EXACTLY THAT WAY.
>> IT'S MY WHOLE LIFE.
