Artist's conception of the pigmentation patterns in C. SanctusR. HARTLEY, UNIV OF MANCHESTER; T LARSON, BLACK HILLS INST.; G. STEWART; SLAC NATIONAL ACCELERATOR LABORATORY
The oldest known beaked bird had a dark body, dark neck, and dramatic patterns along its feathers, scientists have determined using a new, non-destructive technique to characterize pigments in fossils.
The study, published online today in Science, is the first to map the distribution of trace metals in fossils as a way to reconstruct pigment patterns. The findings suggest that pigment chemistry may be key to filling in the prehistoric color palette, which could provide a wealth of information about ancient species and the role of color in evolution.
“It’s more important that just color,” said Phillip Manning, a paleontologist at the University of Manchester and author on the paper. “We’re mapping biochemical pathways which were alive in an organism over 120 million years ago.”
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