Germany: Detecting 3 million-year-old fossil remains red

Millions of years ago, a small mouse with red fur and white belly, once lived in what is today the German village called Willershausen.

According to CNN, researchers have recently discovered the intact fossil of the now extinct mouse, also known as the 'extraordinary mouse'.

Picture 1 of Germany: Detecting 3 million-year-old fossil remains red
The 3 million year old mouse fossil remains intact.

This is the first time researchers have discovered red pigment in the fossils of ancient biological fossils, according to a new study published May 21.

Color is a way for scientists to see how organisms have changed to survive and color also plays an important role in evolution.

'What surprised us was that the body remains intact, from the skeleton to the outer skin. The head, legs and tail are clearly seen, 'said Uwe Bergmann, co-author of the study.

'X-ray images show that not only the bone structure of the object is intact, but the biochemical component is still preserved. This is really a surprise '.

According to the research team, finding red fossil fossils is not easy. Light pigments tend to fade over time and are not easy to find the original color.

'The problem is not only that this mouse has a red pigment, but also that we identified red in a 3 million-year-old fossil , ' Bergmann said.

The team expects new discoveries to help clarify the evolution of animals and the surrounding mysteries. It can also reveal how climate changes over millions of years.

  1. Fossils of 'giant' shrews of nearly 1 million years old are found in Spain
  2. Detection of giant mouse fossils