discoverynews: Was First Winged Dinosaur Jet Black?
by Jennifer Vieges
The winged dinosaur Archaeopteryx, which may represent the missing link in birds’ evolution to powered flight, had at least some jet-black feathers, according to new research published today in Nature Communications.
Aside from creating more of a cool visual for this raven-sized animal, the discovery suggests that Archaeopteryx could fly, since the color and parts of cells that would have supplied the black pigment are evidence that the wing feathers were rigid and durable. These are traits that probably would have permitted flight…
