Chickens sprouted dino-like feathers when scientists messed with the Sonic Hedgehog gene

What has Sonic the Hedgehog got to do with the evolution of bird feathers from dinosaur origins?

New analysis linking dinosaurs and Sonic the Hedgehog might explain how “proto-feathers” became the complex appendages, bird feathers. It’s widely accepted that birds are dinosaurs. Modern feathered friends are the evolutionary descendants of the family of dinosaurs known as theropods – bipedal dinosaurs which includes Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus rex. But when, how and why feathers first emerged continues to be debated. The first proto-feathe…

Scientists Disrupted A Key Gene – And It Made Chicken Feathers More Dinosaur-Like

But alas, it wasn't to last.

From dinosaurs to birds: the origins of feather formation

Feathers, essential for thermoregulation, flight, and communication in birds, originate from simple appendages known as proto-feathers, which were present in certain dinosaurs.By studying embryonic development of the chicken, researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have uncovered a key role of a molecular signalling pathway (the Shh pathway) in their formation. This research provides new insights into the morphogenetic mechanisms that …

Chickens sprouted dino-like feathers when scientists messed with the Sonic Hedgehog gene

Scientists uncovered a key genetic pathway in the origin of feathers, but they found that evolution is stubborn in turning back the clock.

New Research Uncovers Evolutionary Secrets Linking Birds to Their Dinosaur Ancestors

Modern birds are the living relatives of dinosaurs. Take a look at the features of flightless birds like chickens and ostriches that walk upright on two hind legs, or predators like eagles and hawks with their sharp talons and keen eyesight, and the similarities to small theropod dinosaurs like the velociraptors of Jurassic Park fame are striking. Yet birds differ from their reptile ancestors in many important ways. A turning point in their evol…

From dinosaurs to chickens: How feathers first evolved

Feathers are one of the most complex features found on animals, but where did they come from? Scientists now believe that feathers didn’t just appear suddenly in birds. Instead, they evolved step by step from much simpler structures called proto-feathers, which first appeared in some dinosaurs about 200 million years ago. Proto-feathers were tiny, tube-shaped […] The post From dinosaurs to chickens: How feathers first evolved appeared first on K…