http://m.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/07/feathered-dinosaur-fossil/?utm_source=pulsenews&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wiredscience+%28Blog+-+Wired+Science%29

Neat pics

http://m.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/07/feathered-dinosaur-fossil/?utm_source=pulsenews&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wiredscience+%28Blog+-+Wired+Science%29

Neat pics

Makes you think!


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ikhx-6_GTv4/T_2VdOrJM6I/AAAAAAAAEu4/_tz3jOkBUfI/s1600/chimps.png

The detail in that fossil is amazing. I wonder how they know it was feathers instead of something like hair? In the picture with the follicles anchoring feathers, the lighter colored lines look a lot like what I think hair would look. Maybe feathers are preserved better and leave the lines whereas hair wouldn't?

I think that the earlier proto feathers like these were actually a structure about halfway between feathers and hair. Sort of like goose down.