Unlike other feathers, remiges are anchored to bone with strong ligaments ligamentband of tissue that connects a bone to another bone, piece of cartilage, or feather so they can withstand the demands of flight and be precisely positioned. The primary and secondary wing feathers, or remiges remiges REM-i-jeezthe flight feathers on the wing that are attached to bone rather than only to skin, permit birds to take to the skies. Newly unearthed dinosaur fossils from China and Canada have supported these hypotheses by providing specimens from each stage in the proposed evolutionary history-a clear example of how investigating biological structures across contexts can create scientific breakthroughs.
Careful study of this process inspired new hypotheses hypothesisan explanation that is testable through study and experimentation about the evolution of feathers through stages of increasing complexity. For example, the interlocking Velcro-like structure on many bird feathers creates the smooth, flexible, and resilient surface that supports flight and sheds water.Īs feathers grow, they mature into highly branched structures. Understanding feather anatomy at the microscopic level provides insight into how feathers function. From the fluffy down on a swan chick to the brilliant spiral on a King Bird-of-Paradise tail, feathers are remarkable not just in the way they look to the naked eye, but also for their intricate microstructure.
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