A group of scientists at the Field Museum in Chicago recently discovered fossilized grape seeds that could link dinosaurs to today’s many wine offerings.
The South American study found nine new species of fossil grapes dating back at least 19 million years – with the oldest found in a 60 million year old rock.
Dr. Fabiani Herrera, assistant curator of paleobotany at The Field Museum, led the study.
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The discovery proved that grapes spread around the world after the extinction of the dinosaurs, as noted in a press release.
“This is the oldest grape ever found in this part of the world, and is several million years younger than the oldest ever found on the other side of the planet,” Herrera said in the release.
“I’ve been looking for the oldest grape in the Western Hemisphere since I was a student,” said the head of the study. As a result of the new discoveries, the fossil record of grapes in the New World has been revised. (iStock)
The seeds, found in Colombia, Panama and Peru, may be between 19 and 60 million years old, according to the press release.
Dr. Monica Carvalho, assistant curator at the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology and a co-author of the study, said that years ago, dinosaurs probably felled trees as they moved through the forests – eventually driving the ecosystems to extinction.
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“We think that if there were large dinosaurs roaming the forest, they probably felled trees, effectively making the forests more open than they are today,” she said in a statement to the media.
The earliest fossil grape from the Western Hemisphere is approximately 60 million years old, scientists have found. (SWNS)
However, after the dinosaurs went extinct about 66 million years ago, plants grew back in areas in South America — and trees formed nearby, Herrera said.
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“In the fossil record, we’re starting to see more plants that used vines to climb trees, like grapes, at that time,” he said.
He also explained why he wanted to find the “needle in the haystack” in South America.
Dr. Monica Carvalho, assistant curator at the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology and co-author of the new study, spotted the oldest grape fossil in what scientists said was a needle-in-a-haystack discovery. (SWNS)
“I’ve been looking for the oldest grape in the Western Hemisphere since I was a student,” he said.
Herrera added that it was Carvalho who discovered the first grape fossil.
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He said she shouted, “Fabiani, grapes!”
He said, according to the press release, “I looked at it [and] I was like, “Oh my God.”
Grape fossils have been found for the first time in the Western Hemisphere – and dinosaurs may have something to do with the location. (iStock/SWNS)
Carvalho also said: “In fossil excavations in the New World tropics, we found seeds that are related to the grape family, dating back 60 million years. This led us to reexamine the fossil record of grapes in the New World,” according to the University of Michigan website.
She added: “The oldest seed we found is closely related to the large group that gave rise to commercial grapes, the subfamily Vitoideae.”
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“We have this rich but previously poorly known New World grape fossil, and what we’re seeing is that this family has a complex history of extinction and dispersal in the New World,” she added, according to the same source.
New research done in South America sheds light on the history of grapes in the Americas and the Caribbean. (iStock)
After performing a CT scan, the scientists were able to confirm the fossil based on its shape, size and other unique characteristics, according to the press release.
After the first fossil was discovered, scientists discovered eight more new species of fossil grapes in the South American region.
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Carvalho said the new study clarifies the history of grapes in the Americas and the Caribbean, according to the University of Michigan website.
“There was a very big gap in the grape fossil record after the dinosaurs went extinct. About 50 million years ago, we see fossil grapes in North America and Europe,” she said.
“There was a very big gap in the grape fossil record after the dinosaurs went extinct,” said one of the study’s researchers. “About 50 million years ago, we see fossil grape varieties in North America and Europe.” (iStock)
“Back when the planet was warmer, grapes had a wider distribution in high, northern latitudes, but we didn’t really know much about the history of this group in tropical latitudes. That’s where our work comes in.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the study’s authors for further comment.
The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago is one of the largest museums of its kind in the world.
Today, the United States is home to nearly 11,700 wineries.
California, the state with the largest population in the US and the most vineyards in the nation, consumed the most wine in 2021, at more than 155 million gallons, according to VinePair, which also cited other sources.
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In second place was Florida, which consumed 83.2 million gallons, and Texas was third with 65.6 million gallons.
Today, the U.S. is home to nearly 11,700 wineries, according to the Wines Vines Analytics Winery Database.
