New Discovery Reveals Insight Into Feathers, Flight Of Archaeopteryx b4in.org/j5Iy Long believed to be one of the first-ever birds, a new Archaeopteryx species has provided additional evidence that feathers evolved long before creatures gained the ability to fly, according to research published online Wednesday in the journal Nature. Researchers from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the Bavarian State Collections of Paleontology and Geology in Munich, Germany found that the newest specimen of the basal bird had pennaceous (quill-like) feathers all over its body. However, the feathers were not for flight purposes – they evolved for other reasons. The newly discovered specimen in just the eleventh Archaeopteryx fossil discovered, and according to the study authors, it possesses the best preserved plumage yet. It is being examined by LMU Munich paleontologist Dr. Oliver Rauhut and his colleagues, and its condition allows for it to be compared to other feathered dinosaurs. “The new data make a significant contribution to the ongoing debate over the evolution of feathers and its relationship to avian flight,” the German university explained in a statement. “They also imply that the links between feather development and the origin of flight are probably much more complex than has been assumed up to now.” The first Archaeopteryx fossils were discovered in 1861 at the same German limestone quarry where the most recent ones were found, and Dr. Rauhut said that the new specimen gives scientists new insights into the evolution of flight. Furthermore, the find proves that feathers were not formed primarily for that purpose, he told National Geographic. More b4in.org/j5Iy
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 02:35:01 +0000
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