by Anne Trafton from MIT Technology Review on (#6RNS1)
Collagen, a protein prevalent in bones and connective tissue, has been discovered in dinosaur fossils as old as 195 million years-even though the normal half-life of the peptide bonds that hold proteins together is about 500 years. A new study from MIT offers an explanation for collagen's longevity: A special atomic-level interaction prevents water from...