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Feathers show their true colors

(Phys.org) -- For millennia birds have been prized, even hunted, for their beautiful plumage but what makes their feathers so colorful?

Chemistry / Materials Science

created May 11, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Evidence of banned antibiotics in poultry products found

In a joint study, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Arizona State University found evidence suggesting that a class of antibiotics previously banned by the U.S. government for poultry ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Apr 05, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (5) | comments 1

Warm and fuzzy T. rex? New evidence surprises

The discovery of a giant meat-eating dinosaur sporting a downy coat has some scientists reimagining the look of Tyrannosaurus rex.

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Apr 04, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (11) | comments 15

From caves to Stonehenge, ancient peoples painted with sound

Stone Age cave paintings evoke reverent silence in most people. But David Lubman, Miriam Kolar, and Steve Waller prefer to shout and clap instead.

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Feb 27, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

When did the feather take flight?

(PhysOrg.com) -- Some 125 million years ago--more recently than once thought possible -- the molecular structure of the modern feather began to take form, according to molecular dating research by scientists ...

Biology / Evolution

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Jurassic salamanders with stomach contents found from Inner Mongolia

Paleontologists from Chinese Academy of Sciences reported two Jurassic salamanders with stomach contents from Daohugou, Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia, China, as reported in Chinese Science Bulletin online ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Feb 06, 2012 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

How the 'street pigeon' got its fancy on

Pigeons display spectacular variations in their feathers, feet, beaks and other physical traits, but a new University of Utah study shows that visible traits don't always coincide with genetics: A bird from ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jan 19, 2012 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Mystery hummingbird's species identified

A mystery that puzzled Chicago-area birders was solved when Field Museum scientists identified the unusual hummingbird living in an Oak Park, Ill., yard as a member of the rufous species rarely seen in the Midwest.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 26, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Seeing red: Decoding the hidden information on robins' feathers

Red breasted robins are a classic symbol of the winter months and have adorned Christmas cards for over a century. Ornithologists studying the feathers of the European robin (Erithacus rubecula) have discov ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 15, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Scientists use fossil feathers reveal lineage of extinct, flightless ibis

A remarkable first occurred recently at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History when ornithologists Carla Dove and Storrs Olson used 700- to 1,100-year-old feathers from a long extinct species ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Nov 22, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Fossil moths show their true colors

The brightest hues in nature are produced by tiny patterns in, say, feathers or scales rather than pigments. These so-called "structural colors" are widespread, giving opals their fire, people their blue eyes, ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Nov 15, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Dinosaur species attracted mates similar to a peacock

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study presented at the Society for Vertebrate Paleontology shows that the Oviraptor dinosaur had a tail structure that allowed it to shake its tail feathers, possibly to attract potential ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Nov 09, 2011 | popularity 3 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast report

Tree resin captures evolution of feathers on dinosaurs and birds

Secrets from the age of the dinosaurs are usually revealed by fossilized bones, but a University of Alberta research team has turned up a treasure trove of Cretaceous feathers trapped in tree resin. The resin ...

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Sep 15, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (15) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

How hummingbirds produce fluttering sounds during courtship

Though famous for their mid-air hovering during hunting, tiny hummingbirds have another trait that is literally telltale: males of some hummingbird species generate loud sounds with their tail feathers while ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Sep 08, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

A tool to measure stress hormone in birds -- feathers

When faced with environmental threats like bad weather, predators or oil spills, wild birds secrete a hormone called corticosterone. Traditionally, researchers have analyzed blood samples to detect corticosterone levels in ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Aug 16, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Feather

Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They are among the characteristics that distinguish the extant Aves from other living groups. Feathers have also been noticed in those Theropoda which have been termed feathered dinosaurs. Although feathers cover most parts of the body of birds, they arise only from certain well-defined tracts on the skin. They aid in flight, thermal insulation, waterproofing and coloration that helps in communication and protection.

For more information about Feather, read the full article at Wikipedia.
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