Bio-molecular analyses enable new insights into the taphonomy of feathers

Exceptionally preserved feathers from the Mesozoic era have provided valuable insights into the early evolution of feathers and enabled color reconstruction of extinct dinosaurs, including early birds. Mounting chemical evidence for the two key components of feathers-keratins and melanins-in fossil feathers has demonstrated that exceptional preservation can be traced down to the molecular level. However, the chemical changes that keratin and eumelanin undergo during fossilization are still not fully understood, introducing uncertainty in the identification of these two molecules in fossil feathers. To address this issue, we need to examine their taphonomic process. In this study, we analyzed the structural and chemical composition of fossil feathers from the Jehol Biota and compared them with the structural and chemical changes observed in modern feathers during the process of biodegradation and thermal degradation, as well as the structural and chemical characteristics of a Cenozoic fossil feather. Our results suggest that the taphonomic process of feathers from the Cretaceous Jehol Biota is mainly controlled by the process of thermal degradation. The Cretaceous fossil feathers studied exhibited minimal keratin preservation but retained strong melanin signals, attributed to melanin's higher thermal stability. Low-maturity carbonaceous fossils can indeed preserve biosignals, especially signals from molecules with high resistance to thermal degradation. These findings provide clues about the preservation potential of keratin and melanin, and serve as a reference for searching for those two biomolecules in different geological periods and environments.