What color were they??

Ok, so when I read the NY Times' article on figuring out the color of fossilized birds and how they would have looked during their prehistoric time, I have to say I was intrigued. By finding melanosomes, a gene in the birds' feather that produces color, Jakob Vinther, a grad student at Yale is able to determine more closely what  color prehistoric birds would be just by looking under a microscope. Yes, we have been able to piece together the body type and shape of these birds but never the color. And like it says in the article, "Birds, more than any other group of animals, are a celebration of color." Very, true. I also thought it was pretty sweet that a grad student was able to figure this out and not some 80 year old scientist from London or Germany, which I would probably expect. 

There was a blog that I read from the Times that was posted today about how some people believe that science leads to dehumanization and that it is wrong that it is required above the regular history and english classes that we are to be taught. But I totally agree with the author of the blog arguing the fact that "science is what makes us human." This article about prehistoric birds and melanosome is proof too! If it weren't for science how would we even know about melanosomes or even be able to come a step closer to knowing about our past and what was here before us?