289-million-year-old reptile Captorhinus in its death pose in a cave system. Oil seepages, hyper-mineralized water, fine clays in this cave made it an ideal environment for mummification and fossilization of soft tissues like skin, cartilage, and protein remnants. Credit: Dr. Michael DeBraga Every breath you take is part of a very ancient story. The steady movement of your chest, the muscles between your ribs pulling outward, and the air filling your lungs feel completely routine. Yet this