Ultraviolet light uncovers the first known juveniles of a mysterious Jurassic fish family
Paleontologists have used ultraviolet light to identify the first known juvenile fossils of the Jurassic fish family Mesturidae. The technique revealed hidden anatomical structures that were previously invisible under normal light.
Why it matters
This discovery provides new insights into the development and classification of primitive fish species from 152 million years ago.
edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Add as preferred source A) Normal light photo of a juvenile Mesturus verrucosus (LF 1968) from Eichstätt, Solnhofen Archipelago, Bavaria, Germany; B) Photo in UV-light. Credit: B. Lauer in Ebert 2026 For more than 150 years, fossils of Jurassic fish scattered across Europe's museums were studied and drawn by generations of scientists. However, when a paleontologist decided to shine an ultraviolet light on them, a hidden world lit up.
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