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This is scientific Americans 60 second science, I am Sophie Bushwick. got a minute.
Tens of millions of years ago, cephalopods were hiding from their enemies in clouds of ink. And it turns out that cuttlefish1 today produce ink that’s almost identical.
Researchers found fossils of two giant cephalopods that swam the seas more than 160 million years ago. Each one contained a preserved ink sac. Analysis of the sacs revealed that some melanin pigment2—the stuff that makes the ink dark—had survived. Plus, the chemical makeup3 of the melanin was virtually the same as the pigment found in modern-day cuttlefish ink. The work is in the Proceedings4 of the National Academy of Sciences.
It’s rare to find preserved soft tissue in the fossil record. In addition, biomolecules often break down, leaving none of the original organic compounds. Melanin, however, has a sturdy structure that resists this fate. And the methods these researchers used to isolate6 it from the fossils could help other paleontologists better identify preserved organic molecules5 and their functions.
The finding also demonstrates that when something works, evolution usually leaves it alone. Because if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Thanks for the minute for scientific Americans 60 second science, i am Sophie Bushwick.
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1 cuttlefish | |
n.乌贼,墨鱼 | |
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2 pigment | |
n.天然色素,干粉颜料 | |
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3 makeup | |
n.组织;性格;化装品 | |
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4 proceedings | |
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 | |
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5 molecules | |
分子( molecule的名词复数 ) | |
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6 isolate | |
vt.使孤立,隔离 | |
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