E-mail from a highly respected medical center that wants to start a project on protein/peptide sequencing of various samples, all from previously unsequenced species. All results would be compared with the publicly available sequences to determine the relatedness to what has already been done (several hundred species), and then contributed to this same dataset so that other groups doing this sort of thing can compare with these sequences (building a library).
The catch? The samples are from a dinosaur. A T. Rex. You know, the fellow from Jurassic Park.
As I have posted before, the organic material is there in their thighbones - yes, somewhat degraded, but it is there. Note that this is not genetic sequencing - we are one level of abstraction away from the dino-DNA since these are proteins. However, this will be good enough to give a numerical level of confidence in saying T. Rex is more like a chicken than a crocodile (or otherwise).
So, readers, do I start the ball rolling on this, eventually leading to the destruction of downtown San Diego by a rampaging dinosaur?
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