>> 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.