This is scientific American's 60 seconds science. I'm Sophie Bushwick, got a minute? Tens of millions of years ago, (cephalopods) were hiding from their enemies in clouds of ink. And it turns out that cuttlefish today produce (ink) that's almost identical. Researchers found fossils of two giant cephalopods that swam the seas more than 160 million years ago. And each one contained a (preserved) ink sac. Analysis of the sacs revealed that some melanin pigment the stuff that makes the ink dark had survived. Plus, the (chemical) make up of the melanin was virtually the same as the pigment found in modern day cuttlefish ink. The work is the proceedings of National Academy of Sciences. It's rare to find preserved soft tissue in the (fossil) record. In addition, biomolecules often break down, leaving none of original organic compounds. Melanin however has sturdy structure that resists this fate. And methods these researchers used to (isolate) it from the fossils could help other paleontologists better identify preserved organic molecules and their functions. The finding also demonstrates that when something works (evolution) usually leaves it alone, because if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Thanks for the minute for Scientific American's 60 seconds science. I'm Sophie Bushwick.