Cells recovered from a dinosaur

They come from an animal called Brachylophosaurus, a duck-billed dinosaur that lived over 80 million years ago. By looking at one of its thigh bones, Mary Schweitzer from North Carolina State University has managed to recover not just bone cells, but possible blood vessels and collagen protein too. Their presence in the modern day is incredible. Time usually isn't kind to such tissues, which decay and degrade long before harder structures like bones, teeth and armour are fossilised...

From the bone of Brachylophosaurus, she has uncovered tissues that bind to antibodies designed to target collagen and other proteins not found in bacteria, including haemoglobin and elastin. And her experiments were duplicated by independent researchers from five different laboratories. It seems that her Tyrannnosaurus discovery was far from a one-hit wonder....

Not living cells, mind you - but intact ones - 80 million years old. Lots of implications and extensions to other research and possibly to antineoplastic therapy - discussed at the link.