Striped fossil feather and recent woodpecker feather. Under the scanning electron microscope there are melanosomes in the dark but not the light areas (left arrows) of the fossil. For comparison, ...

Oil-damaged Manx shearwater feathers under a digital high-powered microscope. The microstructure within the feather clumps together after exposure to oil, letting water pass through more easily.

(Nanowerk News) The eastern bluebird is a special bird. The blue of its feathers is unique. However, this colour is not based on pigments but on the special structure of the feather. Viewed under the ...