Origin of the Feather
As the novelty generating the flight of birds, the feather, the most complex integumentary structure found in vertebrates, has long intrigued and fascinated naturalists. Since Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species in 1859, however, the origin of the feather emerged as a contentious issue. The newfound association between feathers and dinosaurs has only intensified the problem.
The first North American dinosaur reported with feathers appeared in the October 26th edition of Science. The research team led by paleontologists Darla Zelenitsky (Pictured right) from the University of Calgary described three dinosaurs found in Alberta, Canada, one juvenile and two adult skeletons of the genus Ornithomimus. To their surprise, feathers covered these dinosaurs.
