A 150-million-year old 'Dinobird' fossil, long thought to contain nothing but fossilized bone and rock, has been hiding remnants（残余） of the animal's original chemistry, according to new research. The sensational¹（轰动的，使人感动的） discovery by an international team of palaeontologists（古生物学家） , geochemists（地球化学家） and physicists³ was made after carrying out state-of-the art analysis of one the world's most important fossils - the half-dinosaur/half-bird species called Archaeopteryx（始祖鸟） .

The discovery could revolutionize the field of palaeontology（古生物学） say the team led by scientists at The University of Manchester and the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in the United States.

By recording⁴ how 'bright X-rays' interacted with the fossil, the team have created maps showing chemical elements which were part of the living animal itself.

The maps, published today in the journal Proceedings⁵ of National Academy of Science, show that portions of the feathers are not merely impressions of long-decomposed organic material—as was previously⁶ believed.

Instead, they include fossilized fragments of actual feathers containing phosphorous（磷） and sulfur⁷（硫磺） , elements that compose modern bird feathers.

Trace amounts of copper⁸ and zinc⁹ were also found in the Dinobird's bones: like birds today, the Archaeopteryx may have required those elements to stay healthy.

University of Manchester palaeontologist Dr Phil Manning said: "Archaeopteryx is to palaeontology what Tutankhamen is to archaeology¹⁰（考古学） . It's simply one of the icons¹¹ of our field.

"You would think after 150 years of study, we'd know everything we need to know about this animal. But guess what—we were wrong."

Lead author geochemist Dr Roy Wogelius from The University of Manchester said: "We talk about the physical link between birds and dinosaurs¹², and now we have found a chemical link between them.

"In the fields of palaeontology and geology, people have studied bones for decades. But this whole idea of the preservation¹³ of trace metals and the chemical remains¹⁴ of soft tissue is quite exciting."

The researchers found significantly different concentrations of elements in the fossil than in the surrounding rock, confirming they are remnants of the Dinobird and not leached（过滤，萃取） from the surrounding rock into the fossil.

SLAC physicist² Uwe Bergmann, who led the X-ray scanning experiment, said: "People have never used a technique this sensitive on Archaeopteryx before.

"Because the SSRL beam is so bright, we were able to see the teeniest chemical traces that nobody thought were there."

CMW Institute researcher Bob Morton said: "The discovery that certain fossils retain the detailed¹⁵ chemistry of the original organisms offers scientists a new avenue for learning about long-extinct creatures.

As a result, say the team, the research could change the way palaeontologists work.

Dr Wogelius added: "We're able to read so much more into these organisms now using this technology - we're literally¹⁶ touching¹⁷ ghosts.

"Chemistry is the real key in the future of palaeontology. It's a paradigm¹⁸（范例） shift."

Dr Manning added: "I wouldn't be surprised if future excavations¹⁹（挖掘，发掘） look more like CSI investigations²⁰ where people look for clues at a scene of a crime.

"There's info that's still there that can't be seen with the naked eye.

"We can only see these valuable pieces of data using the x-ray vision that the synchrotron（同步加速器） provides."