Dinosaur-Era Fossil Shows Birds' Feathers Evolved Before Flight
An ancient bird ancestor from the dinosaur era sported feathers, but couldn't fly.
A beautifully preserved fossil Archaeopteryx, a famed flightless bird from the age of the dinosaurs, adds to the evidence that feathers evolved well ahead of the ability to fly.
Long seen as one of the first birds, Archaeopteryx has been joined by a flock of fellow feathered dinosaurs discovered in recent decades. (Related: "Archaeopteryx's Evolutionary Humiliation Continues.")
About 150 million years old, the new fossil disclosed Wednesday in the journal Nature reveals the iconic birdlike dinosaur sported long feathers from head to foot. Earlier fossils showed such feathers on only its wings and tail.
These so-called pennaceous feathers are the long-shafted ones birds use to fly today, distinct from the downy ones that act as insulation. The new Archaeopteryx
