Scientists discover world's oldest colour – bright pink

Pigments found in 1.1bn-year-old rocks beneath the Sahara desert shed light on 'major puzzle' about early life

Scientists have discovered what they say are the world's oldest colours - and they are bright pink.

The pigments were discovered after researchers crushed 1.1bn-year-old rocks found in a marine shale deposit, beneath the Sahara desert, in the Taoudeni basin in Mauritania, west Africa.