How did feathers evolve? - Carl Zimmer
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Let’s Begin…
To
look at the evolution of modern bird feathers, we must start a long time ago,
with the dinosaurs from whence they came. We see early incarnations of feathers
on dinosaur fossils, and remnants of dinosaurs in a bird’s wish bone.
Carl Zimmer explores the stages of evolution and how even the reasons
for feathers have evolved over millions of years.
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Meet The Creators
- Artist Armella Leung
- Educator Carl Zimmer
- Sound Designer Olivier Oswald
- Narrator Carl Zimmer
Kenneth Adair
Hayward, CA, United States
Lesson in progress
Feathers in dinosaurs
Perhaps the most important function of feathers is not mentioned by this presenter at all... and that is that feathers serve as insulation--an extremely important function for warm-blooded organisms--as presumably most of the dinosaur lineages were (we can look to predator/prey ratios for confirmation of this fact). Also, the description of incipient flight feathers as somehow aiding the speed of a ground-running animal is just plain ridiculous. Flight is only going to evolve in tree-climbing animals who jump from tree to tree... and then glide... and finally achieve true flight... think flying squirrel.
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