Fossilized melanosomes and the colour of Cretaceous dinosaurs and birds

A series of striking 'feathered dinosaur' fossil discoveries from the Cretaceous Jehol Group sediments of China has revolutionized thinking about the evolution and diversity of dinosaurs and early birds. But it has been suggested that some of the structures that are not obviously feathers might actually be strands of collagen from under the skin. Zhang et al. refute this notion by demonstrating the presence in these structures of melanosomes —...