Scientists in China have achieved a remarkable breakthrough in paleontology by successfully dating dinosaur eggs directly for the first time, revealing these ancient fossils to be 85.91 million years old. The groundbreaking research, conducted on specimens from the Qinglongshan site in Hubei Province, employed an innovative “atomic clock” dating technique that promises to revolutionize our understanding of dinosaur evolution and Late Cretaceous climate changes. These eggs, belonging to the species Placoolithus tumiaolingensis, provide unprecedented insights into a critical period when Earth’s climate underwent dramatic cooling that may have contributed to dinosaur extinction patterns.
- World’s Smallest Dinosaur Egg Fossils Discovered in China
- New Dinosaur Species Discovered, Oldest Found in North America
The dinosaur egg clutch in the Qinglongshan site including 28 eggs. Most of the eggs at the site are of the species Placoolithus tumiaolingensis. (Bi Zhao/ Frontiers)
