First discovery of 'animals-only' pigment bilirubin in plants
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 - 18:28
in Paleontology & Archaeology
In a first-of-its-kind discovery that overturns conventional wisdom, scientists in Florida are reporting that certain plants - including the exotic `White Bird of Paradise Tree` -- make bilirubin. Until now, scientists thought that pigment existed only in animals. The finding may change scientific understanding of how the ability to make bilirubin evolved, they say in a report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.