Using powerful X-rays from Stanford's synchrotron, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory scientist Uwe Bergmann has analyzed the chemistry within an archaeopteryx fossil and feather and found a unique relation to the modern bird.

Bergmann spoke about his findings at SLAC’s Panofsky Auditorium Tuesday evening.

The archaeopteryx, a dinosaur-like creature with teeth, feathers and a long tail, died in a tropical lagoon that is now in Bavaria. Bergmann explained that Bavaria, which is at latitude 49, had drifted north over 150 million years from latitude 25.

Only one feather and 11 fossils of the archaeopteryx exist today. The first was discovered in 1861, just two years after Darwin published his On the Origin of Species. Enthusiastic supporters of Darwin immediately said, “We have features of a dinosaur in a bird.”

Larry Witmer, Ohio University professor of anatomy and paleontology, wrote in 2001, “Nothing can challenge the archaeopteryx as historically, scientifically, politically and esthetically the most important fossil bird ever discovered.”

Paleontologist Pete Larson approached Bergmann, who had published a paper about his use of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource at SLAC, to reveal forgeries in ancient texts.

He showed that writings from the work of Archimedes had been hidden by 12th century biblical texts, mold  and forged gold paintings. Larson wondered if Bergmann could use the synchrotron to determine what elements can be found in an archaeopteryx fossil and feather.

Larson and Bergmann wanted to learn if fossils contain more than what is visible to the human eye and if chemical elements are still preserved after 150 million years. Furthermore, they wanted to know if anything could be learned about the fossil’s chemistry compared with that of relative existing species.

“We didn’t know what we would find,” Bergmann said.

The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) is one of the most powerful X-ray machines in the world. Bergmann and his team set up experimental equipment to use it to for examining the fossil. To get the equivalent of a 10 million-pixel image, they would run the beam for 28 hours.

The fossil was trucked to SLAC from Thermopolis, WY, where it has been preserved in the Wyoming Dinosaur Center. It is considered the best preserved archaeopteryx fossil.

The analysis—the first study on the archaeopteryx with a synchrotron X-ray—showed 50 parts per million of zinc. This compares well with 100 ppm of zinc in the bones of modern gulls.

There was also copper in the fossil and traces of phosphorus and sulfur in the feather. From this they concluded that the bone chemistry of the archaeopteryx is similar to that of modern birds. It also demonstrates how a tool that was originally designed to investigate various forms of matter ranging from objects of atomic and molecular size to man-made materials can also be applied to study prehistoric creatures.

Bergmann says that this story will be featured in a six-part National Geographic special later this year.