âGoldenâ fossils reveal origins of exceptional preservation
University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin)A recent study by scientists at The University of Texas at Austin and collaborators found that many of the fossils from Germanyâs Posidonia shale do not get their gleam from pyrite, commonly known as foolâs gold, which was long thought to be the source of the shine. Instead, the golden hue is from a mix of minerals that hints at the conditions in which the fossils formed.