There is a world somewhere between reality and fiction. Although ignored by many, it is very real and so are those living in it. This forum is about the natural world. Here, wild animals will be heard and respected. The forum offers a glimpse into an unknown world as well as a room with a view on the present and the future. Anyone able to speak on behalf of those living in the emerald forest and the deep blue sea is invited to join.
" Fossil kept its feathers, and colors, for 130 million years ?
Photo: The fossilized remains of Eoconfuciusornis, a beaked bird with no teeth, still contains traces of its original color. (Image: Xiaoli Wang)
An exquisitely preserved fossil found in China still contains the original biological compounds that gave a 130-million-year-old bird its shading and color. The find extends the timeframe in which scientists thought these substances can be preserved.
In a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from North Carolina State University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Linyi University, show evidence of original keratin and melanosome preservation in the fossilized remains of Eoconfuciusornis, a crow-sized bird that lived in China some 130 million years ago. It’s the oldest fossil ever discovered to still contain traces of these color-giving molecules.
Paleontologists have discovered traces of pigment-containing organelles called melanosomes on fossilized feathers before. Trouble is, scientists weren’t sure if the melanosomes, and their associated color, were actually from the preserved creature, or from microbes that collected on the feathers during decomposition and fossilization. More evidence was needed to separate the two possibilities.
That evidence has now arrived in the form of keratin, a fibrous protein that protects certain cells from damage. -------------------- -------------------- Visit our website ? ? www.paleontologyworld.com ✔ "
