Dinosaur egg dated directly for the first time

Scientists have calculated the age of a fossilized dinosaur egg from analysing the minerals deposited on the surface during fossilisation (it’s around 85.9 million years old). This is the first time a dino egg has been dated directly, rather than relying on indirectly dating the volcanic ash or rock layers in which the specimens are embedded. “This will remove the uncertainties associated with the ages of many fossils,” says palaeontologist Guntupalli Prasad. However, the study did not account for the processes that occur between the egg’s burial and fossilisation, notes palaeontologist Susannah Maidment.