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A team of paleontologists, led by University College Cork (UCC) and the University of Bristol, discovered new sources of melanic pigments, calling for a rethink of how scientists reconstruct the color of fossil birds, reptiles and dinosaurs.
Many recent studies on the color of fossils have badumed that the fossilized granules of melanin – the melanosomes – come from the skin. But new evidence shows that other tissues – such as the liver, lungs and spleen – may also contain melanosomes, suggesting that fossil melanosomes do not provide information on fossil color.
The study published today in the newspaper. Communications is directed by Dr. Maria McNamara of the UCC in collaboration with his doctorate. Valentina Rossi, Paddy Orr of University College Dublin and an international team of paleontologists from the United Kingdom and Japan
The team studied the internal tissues of modern frogs with powerful microscopes and chemical techniques to show that the Internal melanosomes are very abundant.
Dr. McNamara said, "This means that these internal melanosomes could constitute the majority of melanosomes preserved in some fossils."
The team also used disintegration experiments and badyzed fossils to show that internal melanosomes can spread to other parts of the body. According to Dr. Orr
there is a way to differentiate between melanosomes of internal organs and those of the skin
. McNamara added, "The size and shape of skin melanosomes are usually distinct from those of internal organs."
"This will allow us to produce more accurate reconstructions of the original colors of ancient vertebrates.
Learn more:
The true colors of some fossil feathers are now in doubt (w / video)
More information:
Maria E. McNamara et al. Non-integumentary melanosomes can skew the color reconstructions of fossil vertebrates, Nature Communications (2018). DOI: 10.1038 / s41467-018-05148-x
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