petrous
adjective
pe·trous
| \ ˈpe-trəs
, ˈpē-
\
, ˈpē-
\
Definition of petrous
: of, relating to, or constituting the exceptionally hard and dense portion of the human temporal bone that contains the internal auditory organs
Examples of petrous in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But then Johannes Krause and his team at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History tested the samples from a handful of petrous bones. — Andrew Curry, National Geographic, "The first Europeans weren’t who you might think," 12 July 2019 The surge in aDNA data is due to cheaper, faster methods for reading genetic code, as well as the discovery three years ago that the dense petrous bone of the inner ear can preserve up to 100 times more aDNA than other skeletal parts. — Bridget Alex, Discover Magazine, "State of Science: Ancient DNA Starts Answering Archaeology's Big Questions," 1 Jan. 2019 But if there’s any hope of obtaining some, the sample would likely come from the teeth or petrous bone, since their extreme density protects DNA well. — Christian Als, Smithsonian, "Europe’s Famed Bog Bodies Are Starting to Reveal Their Secrets," 29 May 2017 All of those came from the petrous part of the temporal bone, which is the tough part of the skull behind the ear, from five different individuals. — Nicholas St. Fleur, New York Times, "Fate of Ancient Canaanites Seen in DNA Analysis: They Survived," 27 July 2017 DNA begins degrading immediately after death, so scientists look for pockets that tend to be preserved in hair, molar teeth, and the petrous bone near the inner ear. — National Geographic, "These Famous People Were Dug Up After Death—Here's Why," 12 July 2017 But if there’s any hope of obtaining some, the sample would likely come from the teeth or petrous bone, since their extreme density protects DNA well. — Christian Als, Smithsonian, "Europe’s Famed Bog Bodies Are Starting to Reveal Their Secrets," 2 May 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'petrous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for petrous
petrous
adjective
pe·trous
| \ ˈpe-trəs
, ˈpē-
\
, ˈpē-
\
Medical Definition of petrous
: of, relating to, or constituting the exceptionally hard and dense portion of the human temporal bone that contains the internal auditory organs and is a pyramidal process wedged in at the base of the skull between the sphenoid and occipital bones with its lower half exposed on the surface of the skull and pierced by the external auditory canal