Ochre pigment was widely used in prehistoric rock art for its vivid red color, but little is known about how the paint was made. According to a study published November 19 in Scientific Reports that ...

Nov. 20 (UPI) --New research suggests early hunter-gatherers in North America purposefully produced ochre, the vivid red paint used in rock art pictographs all over the world, by heating bacteria.

Ochre was often used as a vivid red paint in ancient rock art known as pictographs. Despite its broad use throughout human history and a modern focus on how the artistic symbolism is interpreted, ...