Feather in Dino Dung Offers Clues to Birds’ Survival After the Mass Extinction
TL;DR
Researchers analyzed a 66-million-year-old feather preserved in dinosaur dung and suggest that differences in feather insulation helped Neornithes—the modern birds—survive the asteroid-triggered winter, potentially explaining why this lineage endured while others did not; the dung also yielded hesperornithiform remains, illustrating an evolutionary bridge in feather type. Published in Current Biology, the study advocates CT-scanning more fossil dung to uncover additional clues about avian survival.
- Feather Preserved in Dinosaur Dung Could Explain Why Birds Survived Mass Extinction Good News Network
- A fossil feather preserved inside dinosaur poop could help explain why birds survived the mass extinction Phys.org
- In 2016, a Montana researcher picked up a rock half the size of a golf ball; 10 years later, scans showed dinosaur dung holding the finest feather yet found from the age of dinosaurs timesofindia.indiatimes.com
- A Tyrannosaur Ate a Feathery Meal—and It Was Frozen in Time National Geographic
- Exquisite 66-million-year-old bird feather preserved in dinosaur dropping newscientist.com
Want the full story? Read the original reporting
Read on Good News Network