Dinosaur feathers found trapped in Burmese amber have shed new light on the evolution of flight feathers, an essential step that allowed early birds to surpass their dinosaur relatives in conquering the skies, a Chinese study has found.
Through a detailed structural study of feathers dating back 99 million years to the Cretaceous period (145 to 66 million years), the researchers were able to gain insight into how feathers evolved during this era.
“Feathers are critical for the flight of birds,” the team led by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Bulletin on May 13.
An essential feature of the evolution of birds was the development of feathers that helped generate thrust and lift.
While modern birds are the direct descendants of dinosaurs, scientists believe that most feathered dinosaurs in the ancient world did not have the same ability to fly, though there has been evidence that some species could glide or have powered flight.
When most people picture flying dinosaurs, the creatures they imagine with large, fleshy wings are actually non-dinosaur reptiles that lived in the same era, such as the pterosaurs.
