Colored fossil snail shells (left) and a snail shell from contemporary times (large specimen on the right). Credit: Klaus WolkensteinScientists present the worlds first evidence of intact polyene pigments in fossils.Snail shells are typically vibrant and noticeably patterned. Residues of ancient color patterns are therefore really rare.This makes this brand-new discovery by researchers from the University of Göttingen and the Natural History Museum Vienna (NHMW) all the more impressive: they found pigments in twelve-million-year-old fossilized snail shells.
Colored fossil snail shells (left) and a snail shell from modern times (large specimen on the right). Credit: Klaus WolkensteinScientists provide the worlds first proof of intact polyene pigments in fossils.Snail shells are typically vibrant and strikingly patterned. Residues of ancient color patterns are therefore extremely rare.This makes this brand-new discovery by scientists from the University of Göttingen and the Natural History Museum Vienna (NHMW) all the more amazing: they found pigments in twelve-million-year-old fossilized snail shells.
