What did scientists find

There are seven species of sea turtles, two of which belong to the genus Lepidochelys: Olive Ridley and Kemp’s Ridley. Although they are among the most common sea turtles in much of the Caribbean and elsewhere, this species has a mysterious history and evolutionary origin.

A fossilized turtle shell was recently found on the Caribbean coast of Panama, shedding light on their ancient past, making it the oldest fossil evidence of the turtles’ existence today.

The discovery of a fossil in the Chagres Formation shows that this turtle lived in Panama approximately 6 million years ago, during the Upper Miocene period, when the world became cold and arid, ice accumulated at the poles, sea levels dropped, and precipitation decreased.

The remains were discovered by Dr. D. of Universidad del Rosario in Bogota, Colombia, who is also a research assistant at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. It was analyzed by a team of paleontologists led by Edwin Cadena. Besides this being the oldest fossil specimen of a Lepidochelys turtle, researchers found something unexpected in this turtle’s fossil bones: traces of DNA. After finding preserved bone cells (osteocytes) with nuclear-like structures, they used a solution called DAPI to test for the presence of genetic material.

Of all the vertebrate fossils on the planet, only two dinosaur fossils, including Tyrannosaurus rex, had previously been found to do this.
-Dr. noted Kadena.

This discovery gives great importance to the vertebrate fossils preserved off the Caribbean coast of Panama, not only for understanding the biodiversity of the Isthmus of Panama, but also for understanding the preservation of soft tissues and possible primitive living substances such as proteins and DNA, which are important components of life. The new field known as molecular paleontology.