Posts Tagged ‘feathers’
Feather pigments hint at stem cell ‘fates’
USC (US) — To understand how stem cells turn into certain tissue patterns and shapes, researchers looked at the sources of complex pigment patterns in feathers. Continue…
Friday, May 10, 2013 9:46 - 0 Comments
Top Stories - Apr 1, 2013 9:17 - 0 Comments
Turning into fossils distorted dino plumage
YALE (US) — Experiments suggest that fossil birds and dinosaurs may have had different colored feathers than scientists thought. (more…)
Top Stories - Feb 6, 2013 18:37 - 1 Comment
Lock in ‘peacock’ color for screen displays
U. MICHIGAN (US) — Engineers trying to mimic the peacocks’ color mechanism for screens have locked in structural color, which is made with texture rather than chemicals. (more…)
Science & Technology - Nov 28, 2012 10:25 - 0 Comments
For ancient birds, feathers were a drag
YALE (US) — Prehistoric birds were far less versatile at flying than their modern descendents, a new study of their feathers shows. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jun 21, 2012 11:14 - 2 Comments
Bird’s wing is built for love, not flight
CORNELL (US) — A small bird found in the forests of Ecuador and Colombia has a very rare wing structure that allows the males to make sounds to woo mates. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jan 25, 2012 14:15 - 1 Comment
Rigid feathers suggest dinosaur could fly
BROWN (US) — Researchers say the winged dinosaurs Archaeopteryx had rigid black feathers, a finding that suggests that they could fly. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jun 23, 2011 10:53 - 5 Comments
Birds see colors invisible to humans
YALE (US) — Birds’ plumage has changed from dull to brilliant over millions of years, but the bright hues humans see are only a fraction of what birds see. (more…)
Science & Technology - Feb 4, 2010 16:16 - 0 Comments
Feathered dinosaur in full color
YALE (US)—Scientists have uncovered the vibrant colors that adorned a feathered dinosaur extinct for 150 million years by deciphering microscopic clues hidden within fossils. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Nov 17, 2009 11:57 - 0 Comments
Bird vibrates feathers to hum love song
CORNELL (US)—Four years ago, a researcher reported a bizarre example of sexual selection in a rare South American bird: The male attracts the female by rubbing specialized wing feathers—more than 100 cycles per second—to create a high hum, similar to a sustained violin note. (more…)
Earth & Environment - Aug 28, 2009 10:25 - 0 Comments
Clues to feather’s technicolor past
YALE (US)—Signs of vivid iridescent colors have been found in feather fossils more than 40 million years old. The discovery could pave the way for determining color features of other ancient birds and even feathered dinosaurs. (more…)
Science & Technology - Jun 19, 2009 14:57 - 0 Comments
He’s cute, but will he care for the kids?
YALE (US)—Bright feathers and fetching displays are par for the course in the animal kingdom’s version of the dating game, but do such showy “advertisements” really deliver when it comes to caring for offspring? New research from Yale University suggests they do—at least when it’s a matter of survival. (more…)
Science & Technology - Apr 3, 2009 8:46 - 0 Comments
Feather color linked to structures similar to beer foam
YALE (US)—Most colors in nature—from the color of our skin to the green of trees—are produced by pigments. But the bright blue feathers found in many birds, such as Bluebirds and Blue Jays, are instead produced by nanostructures. Under an electron microscope, these tiny structures—similar to beer foam—look like sponges. (more…)
