More biology articles in the 'Biology' category  This is an
artist's illustration of how Archaeopteryx may have looked
sporting its new pigmentation. The first complete chemical
analysis of feathers from Archaeopteryx, a famous fossil linking
dinosaurs and birds, reveals that the feathers were
patterned—light in color, with a dark edge and tip—rather than
all black, as previously thought.  The findings came from X-ray
experiments at the Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National
Accelerator Laboratory, where scientists were able to find
chemical traces of the original dinobird and its pigments in the
rock that entombed it 150 million years ago.  "This is a big
leap forward in our understanding of the evolution of plumage,"
said Phillip Manning, a paleontologist at the University of
Manchester and lead author of the report in the June 13 issue of
the Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry.  Only 11
specimens of Archaeopteryx have been found, the first one
consisting of a single feather. Until a few years ag