How the dinosaurs caught cold ---------------------------------------- Evidence of a respiratory infection in the fossilised remains of a young diplodocid – a large, long-necked herbivorous sauropod – increases our understanding of the illnesses that affected dinosaurs Diplodocid roamed Earth in Late Jurassic period (150m years ago) Specimen known as MOR 7029 discovered in U.S. state of Montana in 1990 ---------------------------------------- Neck vertebra Bony protrusions on vertebra where bone was attached to air sacs believed to have formed in response to fungal infection similar to aspergillosis – common respiratory illness in birds and reptiles Route of infection Protrusions Trachea 1cm Air sacs: Air-filled structures connected to lungs as part of dinosaur’s respiratory system MOR 7029 may have experienced symptoms such as weight loss, coughing and fever. Aspergillosis may have led to death Lung ---------------------------------------- © GRAPHIC NEWS Source: Nature Pictures: Woodruff et al. (2022), Corbin Rainbolt and Francisco Bruñén Alfaro