New research shows that the processes involved in hair, fur, and feather growth are remarkably similar to the way scales grow on fish—a finding that points to a single, ancient origin of these protective coverings.
Owing to its distinctly bird-like features, Archaeopteryx is one of the most intriguing dinosaurs known to science. Since its discovery some 150 years ago, paleontologists have wondered if the Late Jurassic dinosaur could actually fly. New research suggests the answer is yes—but its flying style was unlike anything…
Meet Jianianhualong tengi, a distinctly chicken-like dinosaur that lived 125 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period. This newly discovered species of dinosaur now represents the earliest known common ancestor of birds and closely related bird-like dinos, with a feathering pattern associated with aerodynamics.…
Scientists have discovered a dinosaur tail with its feathers still intact trapped inside a piece of amber. It’s absolutely incredible.
It may not look like it but the image of a feather you see above is actually comprised of thousands and thousands of naked human bodies. Seriously, look at the up close shots of the feather below and you’ll see bodies laid out holding each other to form each string.
Seriously, just look at that. Imagine how many tiny, tiny cuts those birds took to make.
If you're a believer in science, you're probably at least vaguely aware that prevailing theories posit that the birds of today are distant relatives to the dinosaurs that died off millions of years ago.
Today we have birds. Millions and millions of years ago we had feathered dinosaurs. What happened in between?
A puffy down feather jacket is one of the lightest and warmest things you can wear. But the tradeoff is that if you get it even the slightest bit wet, you'll be wearing a cold soggy mess. Not the Brooks-Range Mojave, though; thanks to a special coating on the feathers, it doesn't skimp on the warm when it's wet.
A set of 75 million year-old fossils found in the badlands of southern Alberta is adding credence to the suggestion that dinosaurs used feathers to attract a mate, and not to take flight. The fossils, which are from the oldest feathered dinosaurs ever found, are also offering further proof that all ornithomimids — an…
Last week, researchers studying a dinosaur named Microraptor published the results of a remarkable discovery: this small, four-winged dinosaur was covered from head-to-toe in black feathers, but shone with a glossy hint of blue. In other words, its plumage was iridescent.
Don't miss your chance to participate in a live talk about dinosaurs with members of the American Museum of Natural History's Paleontology Division, today at 12:30 ET!
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)…
A Neanderthal burial site in Italy reveals hundreds of bird bones mixed in with those of our hominid cousins. The bones had the feathers scraped off, as though the Neanderthals had removed them on purpose - and the only plausible reason they would do that is to wear the feathers. It's more evidence that Neanderthals…
It's light. It's flexible. It withstands frigid temperatures on top of a mountain. And in the entire history of humans staying warm, nobody's been able to beat it. Here's how you build the most powerfully simple jacket in the world.
A newly discovered penguin fossil reveals a bird twice as big as an Emperor penguin and with colors radically different from the familiar black and white features all modern penguins share...but this Water King was already the perfect swimming bird.
