Iridescent, Feathered Dinosaur Offers Fresh Evidence That Feathers Evolved to Attract Mates [View all]

[n2doc]

ScienceDaily (Mar. 8, 2012) — A team of American and Chinese researchers has revealed the detailed feather pattern and color of Microraptor, a pigeon-sized, four-winged dinosaur that lived about 120 million years ago. A new specimen shows the dinosaur had a glossy iridescent sheen and that its tail was narrow and adorned with a pair of streamer feathers, suggesting the importance of display in the early evolution of feathers, as presented in the March 9 edition of the journal Science.

The research was conducted by scientists at the Beijing Museum of Natural History, Peking University, The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Akron, and the American Museum of Natural History.

By comparing the patterns of pigment-containing organelles from a Microraptor fossil with those in modern birds, the scientists determined the dinosaur's plumage was iridescent with a glossy sheen like the feathers of a crow. The new fossil is the earliest record of iridescent color in feathers.

A new reconstruction of the dinosaur will help scientists approach the controversy of how dinosaurs began the transition to flight.

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http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120308143159.htm