On Wed, Nov 9, 2011 at 6:43 PM, Dann Pigdon
<dannj@alphalink.com.au> wrote:
As reported in New Scientist:
[Ryan] Carney and colleagues used scanning electron microscopy and
energy-dispersive X-ray
analyses to detect the melanosomes [of an Archaeopteryx feather],
then compared this data to
similar feathers in a database of 87 modern bird species. The
feather, he says, was most probably
black. While the full colour pattern of Archaeopteryx has yet to
be uncovered, Carney noted that
melanosomes on the black feather have structural properties which
may have strengthened the
feathers for the demands of flight. The miniscule structures which
hide the secrets of prehistoric
colour were not just for show.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21146-archaeopteryx-was-
robed-in-black.html
Awe-inspiring work!
BUT ... since this specimen is an isolated feather, isn't it more
accurate to say that some Solnhofen aviremigian, *possibly
Archaeopteryx*, had at least some black feathers?
--
T. Michael Keesey
http://tmkeesey.net/