News 2013
Solving palaeontology's biggest mystery
A UCC palaeontologist is showcasing her research on the colours of fossil animals at this year’s prestigious Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in London.
The exhibition is the UK’s premier forum for public engagement with science and is attended by over 15,000 people each year.
The exhibit, titled ‘Prehistoric colours in fossil insects and feathers’, features interactive fossilisation experiments, a high-tech scanning electron microscope, a fossilisation video game, and lots of genuine fossils including rare colourful fossil insects, birds and a feathered dinosaur.
The exhibit team of 18 palaeontologists includes scientists from Ireland, China and the USA. Exhibit co-ordinator Dr Maria McNamara said, ‘Not many people know that fossils can show traces of colour. Our exhibit is a unique opportunity to excite thousands of people by science, especially hot topics in palaeontology such as fossil colour.’
Using modern insects and feathers, McNamara and her team have conducted experiments to measure the effects of pressure, temperature and chemicals on colours to see if and how they change over time.
They then examine fossils using powerful electron microscopes and identify which fossils have accurately preserved their colours. This will help scientists identify important changes in the evolution of colour and how it was used by animals in the past.
Prof. John O’Halloran, Head of the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, said ‘This exhibit will create a lasting positive impression of science on the general public, attracting future scientists, and will raise the profile of scientific research at UCC.’ UCC students and the broader community in Cork can interact with the exhibit first-hand at events based in Cork later this year.
The exhibition involves a highly competitive selection process, with only 22 research groups chosen to host an exhibit, and runs from 2nd – 7th July at the Royal Society, Carlton House, London.
All of the educational materials associated with the exhibit can be downloaded for free here. The website also features the fossilisation video game, video interviews, and links to the exhibit blog.