Preservation of proteins in the geosphere

A 20+ Ma old enamel proteome from Canada’s High Arctic reveals diversification of Rhinocerotidae in the middle Eocene-Oligocene

“…In contrast, palaeoproteomic data have been recovered from late Miocene, Pliocene and early Pleistocene fossils, even in localities that are warm, humid, and/or at low latitudes 7,8 . Although protein sequences from the early Pleistocene have been successfully used to infer the phylogenetic placement of various fossil mammals [9][10][11] , the precise limit of proteomic survival has not yet been systematically characterised 12,13 . Currently, the oldest confirmed palaeoproteomic data successfully used to infer subordinal taxonomic relationships derive from bone collagen of camelids from the 3.7 Ma Fyles Leaf Bed site of Canada's High Arctic 14,15 .…”