Color of Dinosaur Feathers Identified

A paper that was recently published in the magazine 'Nature', reports that for the first time, we can identify the color of some feathers on dinosaurs and early birds. This discovery has helped resolve a debate about the original function of feathers. The fact that the discovery was made on dinosaurs that existed before winged creatures roamed the earth acknowledges feather were not originally used assistance in flight. Also, the feathers were not in sufficient quantity and location on the dinosaurs to indicate that they would have been used for insulation purposes. This leads us to the conclusion that the original function of feathers was as a display feature. Melanosomes are color-bearing organelles, buried within the structure of the feathers, which have survived for hundreds of millions of years due to their rugged construction. These melanosomes are the key to the discovery of feather colors and patterns on these ancient creatures. This fantastic step forward in science has created a link in our understanding of nature that will allow us to discover the steps of the feather over its long evolutionary travel.

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