Keratin and melanosomes preserved in 130-million-year-old bird fossil
Monday, November 21, 2016 - 15:21
in Paleontology & Archaeology
New research from North Carolina State University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Linyi University has found evidence of original keratin and melanosome preservation in a 130-million-year-old Eoconfuciusornis specimen. The work extends the timeframe in which original molecules may preserve, and demonstrates the ability to distinguish between ancient microstructures in fossils.