[Rockhounds] Incredible Amber Fossils Reveal the True Colors of Ancient Insects

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

Fossils rarely retain evidence of an organism’s original color, but these
99-million-year-old amber fossils found in Myanmar are revealing the
vibrant hues of another world.

New research <http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.0301> published today in
Proceedings of the Royal Society B highlights dozens of amber fossils from
the Cretaceous period that still contain evidence of their occupant’s
original colors. Bursting in metallic blues, purples, and greens, these
ancient insects are both alien and oddly familiar.

Nature, it goes without saying, is very colorful. Sadly, however, fossils
usually provide a dull, monochrome view of the past. That said,
paleontologists are finding ways of teasing out colors from well-preserved
fossils, whether they be dinosaurs
<https://gizmodo.com/fossil-reconstruction-shows-how-dinosaurs-used-camoufla-1786659891>
 and flying reptiles
<https://gizmodo.com/ancient-flying-reptiles-featured-distinctly-dino-like-f-1831145689>
or
ancient snakes
<https://gizmodo.com/colorless-fossil-reveals-true-colors-of-ancient-snake-1768302122>
 and mammals
<https://gizmodo.com/new-breakthrough-means-we-can-finally-detect-the-color-1834918938>
.

https://gizmodo.com/incredible-amber-fossils-reveal-the-true-colors-of-anci-1844219875