Beetle Fossil Colors (Wired Science)

Leaf beetle, Messel fossil pits, Germany.  Estimated age 47 million years.

See these astonishing photos.  The color is generated by interaction with nanometer-scale surface geometry, not by bouncing light off pigment chemicals which would not have survived.  The fossils formed in fine sediments that captured and preserved the light-altering surface textures.  Prehistoric Colors Preserved in Near-Perfect Beetle Fossils

Leaf beetle, Eckfeld, Germany.  Approximate age 40 million years.