Fossil Ink Sacs Yield Jurassic Pigment A First

The ink’s been dry for 160 million years but scientists have for the first time confirmed pigment in two fossilized ink sacs from cuttlefish like animals, a new study says.
The ancient ink’s similarity to modern squid ink suggests this defensive weapon hasn’t evolved much since the Jurassic period.
Using several different techniques, though, the team was able to confirm that melanin had survived intact in the ink sacs. They then compared the chemical properties of the Jurassic pigment with those of ink from living common cuttlefish, which release clouds of ink to confuse predators.
“As far as we can tell by everything we’ve thrown at it, the [ancient] ink is indistinguishable from modern ink,” he said. That the ink hasn’t changed over the millennia may not be too surprising, since “it’s a pretty good defense mechanism,” he said. Overall, the study hints at soft tissue’s promise as a new resource for learning about the ancient world.
“As we look back and think about what we know about life before our time, it’s mostly through skeletal info,” Simon said. “What’s beginning to happen now is that people are realizing that, in addition, there is soft tissue that’s being preserved. Studying soft tissue, he added, “could give us a whole new window into species that are extinct and their relationships to modern-day” life-forms.