A recent study published in Earth Science Reviews examines how both the shine and excellent preservation of fossils discovered at Germany’s Posidonia Shale is not the result of pyrite (aka fool’s gold), which has been the longstanding hypothesis, but from an assortment of minerals that could indicate the environment in which the fossils formed. This study holds the potential to help scientists better understand the formation and evolution of fossils, specifically pertaining fossils from the Early Jurassic, which are known to be some of the best-preserved fossils in the world.