Feathers evolved in dinosaurs and are a key characteristic of birds today. They are arranged in a precise hexagonal pattern in a bird's skin, but it has been unclear how this happens. According to a new study published February ...
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 21, 2019
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135
A 150-year-old fossil feather mystery has been solved by an international research team including Dr. Michael Pittman from the Department of Earth Sciences, the University of Hong Kong. Dr. Pittman and his colleagues applied ...
Archaeology
Feb 4, 2019
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323
An international team of researchers has performed molecular analysis on fossil feathers from a small, feathered dinosaur from the Jurassic. Their research could aid scientists in pinpointing when feathers evolved the capacity ...
Evolution
Jan 28, 2019
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220
A genetic study uncovers that birds maintain a dynamic coevolutionary relationship with their feather mites. The study has involved the participation of the Estación Biológica de Doñana from the CSIC, and its results have ...
Evolution
Jan 17, 2019
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5
When it comes to flirting, animals know how to put on a show. In the bird world, males often go to great lengths to attract female attention, like peacocks shaking their tail feathers and manakins performing complex dance ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 18, 2018
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92
An international team of palaeontologists, which includes the University of Bristol, has discovered that the flying reptiles, pterosaurs, actually had four kinds of feathers, and these are shared with dinosaurs - pushing ...
Archaeology
Dec 17, 2018
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1504
Iridescence is responsible for some of the most striking visual displays in the animal kingdom. Now, thanks to a new study of feathers from almost 100 modern bird species, scientists have gained new insights into how this ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 10, 2018
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114
As a birder, I had heard that if you paid careful attention to the head feathers on the downy woodpeckers that visited your bird feeders, you could begin to recognize individual birds. This intrigued me. I even went so far ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 7, 2018
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11
Indian peafowl crests resonate efficiently and specifically to the same vibration frequencies used in peacock social displays, according to a paper published November 28, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Suzanne ...
Plants & Animals
Nov 28, 2018
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60
Food industry waste management is a critical issue, considering the environmental and health hazards involved with production and processing. For example, the poultry industry generates a vast amount of feather waste every ...
Environment
Oct 24, 2018
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4
