New Study Fuels Debate About Source of Birds’ Magnetic Sense
New Study Fuels Debate About Source of Birds’ Magnetic Sense
A detailed analysis of cryptochrome 4 shows that the protein is highly sensitive to magnetic fields in vitro, but some researchers dispute the authors’ assertion that the findings could help explain avian magnetoreception.
A detailed analysis of cryptochrome 4 shows that the protein is highly sensitive to magnetic fields in vitro, but some researchers dispute the authors’ assertion that the findings could help explain avian magnetoreception.
avian evolution
Image of the Day: Bigger Picture
Sukanya Charuchandra | Aug 1, 2018 | 1 min read
Island birds possess bigger brains than those from the mainland.
Image of the Day: Bird Braincase
The Scientist and The Scientist Staff | May 4, 2018 | 1 min read
Newly discovered fossils shed light on the structure of the feeding apparatus of ancient seabirds.
Many Evolutionary Paths Lead to Same Bird Trait
Anna Azvolinsky | Oct 20, 2016 | 3 min read
Diverse genetic changes lead to remarkably similar hemoglobin adaptations of diverse bird species, a study finds.
Dino Snouts from Chicken Beaks
Bob Grant | May 12, 2015 | 2 min read
Researchers tweak gene expression in chicken embryos that may have been crucial to the evolutionary transition from dinosaur noses to bird bills.
Oldest Ancestor of Modern Birds Found
Jenny Rood | May 6, 2015 | 2 min read
Fossils of a new species discovered in China suggest birds developed 6 million years earlier than previously thought.
Winged Dino Found?
Bob Grant | May 1, 2015 | 2 min read
Researchers describe a small species that may have soared through Jurassic skies on membranous wings like those of bats and flying squirrels.
Capsule Reviews
Bob Grant | Apr 1, 2015 | 3 min read
Junk DNA, Cuckoo, Sapiens, and Cool
How Tinier Theropods Took Flight
Jyoti Madhusoodanan | Aug 4, 2014 | 2 min read
Downsizing dinosaurs was key to the evolution of birds, a study shows.
The Flight Size
Tracy Vence | Feb 5, 2014 | 1 min read
The metabolic intensity of powered flight seems to have caused some bird genomes to shrink.
Behavior Brief
Abby Olena, PhD | Sep 27, 2013 | 4 min read
A round-up of recent discoveries in behavior research
Fossil Reshuffles Avian Family Tree
Dan Cossins | May 30, 2013 | 2 min read
A newly discovered fossil of what may be the earliest known bird redraws the picture of the early avian evolution, but some researchers are not convinced.
Cretaceous Easter Eggs
Cristina Luiggi | Apr 9, 2012 | 1 min read
Researchers discover a 70-million-year-old egg that belonged to a small, bird-like meat-eating dinosaur.
Dinosaurs’ Shiny Black Feathers
Cristina Luiggi | Mar 9, 2012 | 1 min read
A 130 million-year-old winged dinosaur offers scientist the oldest evidence of iridescent feathers.
Ruffling Dinosaur Feathers
Cristina Luiggi | Sep 15, 2011 | 2 min read
Dinosaur and early bird feathers trapped in amber around 80 million years ago provide unprecedented insight into the evolution of plumage.
Early Bird Plumage
Cristina Luiggi | Sep 15, 2011 | 1 min read
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.
On the Origin of Birds
Cristina Luiggi | Jul 27, 2011 | 3 min read
The discovery of a new bird-like fossil challenges longstanding theories about which species of dinosaur gave rise to the avian lineage.