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<p>Osteohistological investigations of fossilized bone can reveal details about the specimen’s biological, geological and environmental conditions. Micro-to-nanoscale imaging provides insight into the structural organization of bone and can also reveal indicators of the fossilization process. We examined a petrographic thin section of the left fibula of a ~ 71.5&#xa0;million-year-old <i>Albertosaurus sarcophagus</i> (Canadian Museum of Nature [CMN] catalogue number FV 11315) using nanoscale scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and focused ion beam (FIB)-SEM tomographic imaging to study the arrangement of mineral and organic components of fossil bone in multidimensions. Here, we present evidence of permineralization in Haversian canals by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Nanoscale 3D FIB-SEM imaging revealed that the characteristic 67&#xa0;nm banding periodicity of collagen fibrils was remarkably well preserved over 70&#xa0;M years, and 3D imaging allowed for the detection of collagen fibril bundles in parallel fibered and lamellar bone arrangements. A newly discovered structure in modern bone, the ellipsoidal mineral cluster, was tiled throughout the 3D space of fibrolamellar fossil bone. These observations, afforded by the high-resolution and site-specific nature of FIB-SEM, link key fossilized features with the micro-nanoscale structure of modern-day bone. This investigation highlights the persistence of bone formation and organization persisting for over millions of years.</p>

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Electron and focused ion beam microscopy of fossilized Albertosaurus sarcophagus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) bone reveals nano to microscale features

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月12日

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  • Alyssa Williams,
  • Dirk Schumann,
  • Jordan C. Mallon,
  • Michael W. Phaneuf,
  • Nabil Bassim,
  • Kathryn Grandfield

摘要

Osteohistological investigations of fossilized bone can reveal details about the specimen’s biological, geological and environmental conditions. Micro-to-nanoscale imaging provides insight into the structural organization of bone and can also reveal indicators of the fossilization process. We examined a petrographic thin section of the left fibula of a ~ 71.5 million-year-old Albertosaurus sarcophagus (Canadian Museum of Nature [CMN] catalogue number FV 11315) using nanoscale scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and focused ion beam (FIB)-SEM tomographic imaging to study the arrangement of mineral and organic components of fossil bone in multidimensions. Here, we present evidence of permineralization in Haversian canals by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Nanoscale 3D FIB-SEM imaging revealed that the characteristic 67 nm banding periodicity of collagen fibrils was remarkably well preserved over 70 M years, and 3D imaging allowed for the detection of collagen fibril bundles in parallel fibered and lamellar bone arrangements. A newly discovered structure in modern bone, the ellipsoidal mineral cluster, was tiled throughout the 3D space of fibrolamellar fossil bone. These observations, afforded by the high-resolution and site-specific nature of FIB-SEM, link key fossilized features with the micro-nanoscale structure of modern-day bone. This investigation highlights the persistence of bone formation and organization persisting for over millions of years.