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Unique research on the radioactivity of fossils

Polish scientists were the first in the world to explain why radioactive fossils are formed and what fossilization processes lead to it.Dr. Daniel Tyborowski from the Museum of the Earth of the Polish Academy of Sciencestook part in this pioneering research.

Dr Daniel Tyborowski

This is the first precise analysis of radioactive fossils.The latest research focused on the measurements of the natural radioactivity with the use of spectroscopic methods.Several dozen invertebrates and vertebrates fossils, including ammonites, clams, mammoths, woolly rhinoceros, cave bears, ichthyosaurs, mosasaursfrom various geological periods and locations (Poland, France, Morocco)were examined.It was foundthat the formation of radioactive fossils occurs in two cases: when the specimen is composed of phosphates (bones, teeth) or when the burying environment of the remains was enriched with phosphates, i.e. when the fossils,which were not originally phosphated, were subject to phosphatization.

radioaktywne skamieniałości

Phosphatization process

The presence of phosphates is crucial for the concentration of radioactive elements such as uranium and its decay products. Interestingly, the phosphatization is one of the basic taphonomic processes that contributes to the preservation of soft tissues. Such phosphatized soft-tissues were identified in Jurassic molluscs (clams and cephalopods) from France, and appeared to be highly radioactive. Their level of radioactivity was only slightly lower than the bones of the Pleistocene megafauna, which are known for their phosphorus content and easy absorption of radioisotopes. The presence of increased radioactivity coexists with the preservation of soft tissues in unique palaeontological sites. In addition, it is good to know that radioactive fossils pose no risk to human health and life.

Research team

The study was conducted by an interdisciplinary research team consisting of: Dr. Daniel Tyborowski – palaeobiologist from the Museum of the Earth of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Prof. Magdalena Długosz-Lisiecka – radiation chemist from the Institute of Applied Radiation Chemistry of the Lodz University of Technology and Dr. Marcin Krystek – geologist from the Geological Museum in Lodz. In the future, such interdisciplinary cooperation may help to develop geochemical methods for studying fossils and introduce innovative methods of dating them.

The article on this unique research was published in the Chemosphere journal: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653521019160  

Source of information: Museum of the Earth of the Polish Academy of Sciences