Paleohistology is the study of the microstructure of fossilized skeletal tissues, offering insights into the biology, growth patterns, and physiology of extinct organisms.
Despite the decay of organic components, the inorganic elements of bone preserve critical structures such as osteocyte lacunae, vascular canals, and collagen fibers. This highly specialized field within paleontology yields insights into the lives of extinct animals, including growth history and age at death.[1][2][3][4]
- ^ Bone histology of fossil tetrapods: advancing methods, analysis, and interpretation. Berkeley: University of California Press. 2013. ISBN 9780520273528.
- ^ Vertebrate skeletal histology and paleohistology (Firstiton ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group. 2021. ISBN 9780815392880.
- ^ Woodward, Holly N.; Tremaine, Katie; Williams, Scott A.; Zanno, Lindsay E.; Horner, John R.; Myhrvold, Nathan (3 January 2020). "Growing up Tyrannosaurus rex : Osteohistology refutes the pygmy " Nanotyrannus " and supports ontogenetic niche partitioning in juvenile Tyrannosaurus". Science Advances. 6 (1): eaax6250. Bibcode:2020SciA....6.6250W. doi:10.1126/sciadv.aax6250. ISSN 2375-2548. PMC 6938697. PMID 31911944.
- ^ Bailleul, Alida M.; O’Connor, Jingmai; Schweitzer, Mary H. (27 September 2019). "Dinosaur paleohistology: review, trends and new avenues of investigation". PeerJ. 7: e7764. doi:10.7717/peerj.7764. PMC 6768056. PMID 31579624.