Dinosaur Feathers Discovered in Canadian Amber

[n2doc]

Today a group of paleontologists announced the results of an extensive study of several well-preserved dinosaur feathers encased in amber. Their work, which included samples from many stages in the evolution of feathers, bolstered the findings of other scientists who've suggested that dinosaurs (winged and otherwise) had multicolored and transparent feathers of the sort you might see on birds today. The researchers also presented evidence, based on the feathers' pigmentation and structures, that today's bird feathers could have evolved from dinosaur feathers.

We've got a gallery of these intriguing feathers preserved in amber.

In a profile of lead researcher Ryan McKellar, The Atlantic's Hans Villarica writes:

These specimens represent distinct stages of feather evolution, from early-stage, single filament protofeathers to much more complex structures associated with modern diving birds . . . They can't determine which feathers belonged to birds or dinosaurs yet, but they did observe filament structures that are similar to those seen in other non-avian dinosaur fossils.

more

http://io9.com/5840854/dinosaur-feathers-discovered-in-canadian-amber

[Victor_c3]

1. Cool stuff

I'm going to have to share this with my daughters. My oldest one (she'll be 5 in October) is a huge dinosaur and science nut. We read and discuss a lot of science related things and, surprisingly, she really seems to get it.

This will surely set off her imagination to know that at least some dinosaur feathers were brown and black.

[DavidDvorkin]

2. This seems to be from two years ago

Although I don't remember reading about this before.

[Warpy]

3. Great pictures!

Feathers have always made more sense to me than the kiddie science book image of dinosaurs with lizard scales. We've known they were warm blooded for some time. That would seem to require some sort of insulation against heat and cold and plumage would provide it.

I can only barely imagine what the spine on a stegosaurus might have looked like: a translucent plumage to dissipate heat or a colored one to attract it--it must have been a spectacular Mohawk in its day.