Old Colors: First Birds, Then Dinosaurs?

ByCarl Zimmer
September 01, 2009
2 min read

Quick shake of the head, rub of the eyes, and back to some science.

feathers220.jpg
melanosomes.jpg

You may guess where this is going…There are now lots of dinosaur fossils that have what just about all scientists agree now are feathers. If they’re preserved well enough, you should be able to put them under a microscope and see melanosomes. And if you can make out their patterns…

Stay tuned.

[Images: Grackle via Wikipedia; fossil pictures courtesy of Jacob Vinther]

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