Feathers in its pants

Fossil of the Archaeopteryx bavarica. - Wikimedia Commons

THE origin of feathers and the origin of flight have been a contentious chicken-and-egg issue in the scientific world for decades. Did feathers develop as a flight mechanism – or were they first used for other purposes?

Now, the discovery of an Archaeopteryx skeleton with feathered “trousers” bolsters the idea that these feathers weren’t for flying and initially may have been used as impressive displays. The findings in the journal Nature shed light on the complex evolution of feathered flight.