Collagen is the most abundant protein in animals. It is also one of the most enduring. Over the past few decades, paleontologists have found it in dinosaur fossils tens of millions of years old.
Its persistence is perplexing, because the protein contains chemical bonds, that, on paper, should only last 500 years. So why does this stuff last so long? Chemists provide an answer to that mystery in an ACS Central Science report.
The Strength of Collagen
The answer starts with collagen’s structure. Collagen consists of three protein strands that essentially twist together to form a substance much stronger than each strand.
