Compound in 500-million-year-old fossils sheds new light on Earth's carbon cycle

PHYSorg
Feb 6, 2026, 1:35 pm57 ptsTrending
A UT San Antonio-led international research team has identified chitin, the primary organic component of modern crab shells and insect exoskeletons, in trilobite fossils more than 500 million years old, marking the first confirmed detection of the molecule in this extinct group.

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