In the meantime, other scientists sought to illuminate the origin of feathers by examining the scales of modern reptiles, the closest living relatives of birds. Both scales and feathers are flat.

Biologists have long known that feathers and hairs both start as structures called placodes. In reptiles, however, biologists had found distinct skin areas that yielded scales but no placodes.

Scientists now believe that feathers didn’t just appear suddenly in birds. Instead, they evolved step by step from much ...

Feathers, essential for thermoregulation, flight, and communication in birds, originate from simple appendages known as proto ...

Feathers may have been very colorful in some ... to survive the cold conditions after the asteroid strike than many reptiles. This is because like mammals, birds are also warm-blooded, meaning ...

But modern science is changing that, revealing unexpected connections in the tree of life — and opening our eyes to skies filled with modern feathered, flying reptiles.

“People were fighting about the fact that reptiles either lost it, or birds and mammals independently developed them,” Milinkovitch told The New York Times. “Now we are lucky enough to put this debate ...

20, 2025 — Feathers, essential for thermoregulation ... 2025 — New research has revealed that birds, reptiles, and mammals have developed complex brain circuits independently, despite sharing ...

It had feathered wings like living birds, but also had traits found in reptiles, such as teeth, claws and a long bony tail. Charles Darwin, who had published On the Origin of Species two years ...

Birds are warm-blooded animals with feathers, wings ... blackbirds, ducks and owls. Reptiles are animals that have dry, scaly skin and are cold-blooded. This means their body temperature changes ...