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Researchers Find Color In Fossils

Posted by kdawson on from the any-color-as-long-as-it's-black dept.

Science News has a look at the latest paleontological fashion: what may be the remains of pigment in fossilized feathers 100 million years old. The material in question is believed to be black melanin, on the evidence of its similarity in scanning-microscope images to the modern pigment. The researchers are hopeful of identifying other varieties of melanin, which provide red or yellow coloration; and also possibly of spotting fossilized nanostructures of melanin that create iridescent patterns in some modern animals.

7 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. Hokey Pokey Science Fiction if you ask me by sleeponthemic · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've seen the evidence. Color evolved when Dorothy was whisked away to OZ.

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    1. Re:Hokey Pokey Science Fiction if you ask me by techno-vampire · · Score: 4, Funny

      Yes. And, as Calvin's father explained, old movies are in Black and White because back that's the way everything really was. We didn't start getting color movies, like The Wizard of Oz until color itself was invented.

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    2. Re:Hokey Pokey Science Fiction if you ask me by ABoerma · · Score: 5, Funny

      And there I was thinking it came after Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon used a magic remote...

  2. Re:Stupidity by easyTree · · Score: 4, Funny

    You forgot to press your CAPS LOCK KEY before beginning to type...

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  3. Re:background? by Alsee · · Score: 4, Funny

    Quick! Someone go lobby congress for more science funding on behalf of the Hollywood studios!

    It would probably work.

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  4. Old News..... by IHC+Navistar · · Score: 4, Funny

    I found this out a long time ago.....when I took color photographs of fossils!

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  5. Re:background? by gregbot9000 · · Score: 5, Funny

    So this could rule out purple and green dinosaurs, yellow protoceratops, and orange hadrosaurs. What next? You're going to tell me that dinosaurs didn't sing and dance with little children, were taller than 6' 2" and weren't overflowing with uncomfortable kindness?