feathers

These ancient insects ate dinosaur feathers during the Cretaceous period.

Scientists uncover a potential reason why redder house finches have better health.

A controversy over pterosaurs’ plumage has taken off, with a new discovery pushing feather origins back 80 million years into the early Triassic.

Fish scales follow a model famed computer scientist Alan Turing developed to describe patterns observed in other animals’ feathers, spines, and scales.

A fossil from the Cretaceous Period shows similarities to modern avian species.

Despite containing similar chemical pigments, red and yellow parrot feathers display distinct hues.

Scientists have found the oldest known specimen of a blood-sucking insect together with the remains of its host. 

In a developing chicken embryo, skin cells pull on each other, forming multicellular mounds that eventually turn into properly-spaced feathers.

The first-of-its-kind sample includes both vertebral segments and feathers.

Reptiles, birds, and mammals all produce tiny, bump-like structures during development.   

Researchers confirm that some microscopic imprints in fossilized dinosaur feathers are pockets of melanin.

A newly discovered relative of Velociraptor had abundant plumage and birdlike wings.  

A comprehensive analysis of fossilized dinosaur skin samples suggests feathers were not the norm.

By taking cues from bird feathers, scientists engineer nanoparticle structures that produce striking colors.

A feather-covered herbivorous dinosaur offers a surprising perspective on plumage. 

A 130 million-year-old winged dinosaur offers scientist the oldest evidence of iridescent feathers.

Dinosaur and early bird feathers trapped in amber around 80 million years ago provide unprecedented insight into the evolution of plumage.

After rummaging through thousands of amber inclusions housed at the University of Alberta and the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Canada, researchers discovered 11 amber encased-feather fossils that provide the most detailed picture yet of early feather evolution.