Birds, more than any other group of animals, are a celebration of color. They have evolved from hot pink flamingos to the shimmering blue of a peacock’s neck. Yet, for decades, paleontologists who study extinct birds have had to use their imaginations to see the colors in the fossils. Now a team of scientists, including Julia Clarke, associate professor in the Department of Geological Sciences in the Jackson School of Geosciences, has discovered color-producing molecules that have survived for 47 million years in the fossil of a feather.
The New York Times
First trace of color found in fossil bird feathers
Aug. 31
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/science/01feath.html?_r=1&ref=science
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