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Dinosaurs

Fuzzy origins for feathers

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Cretaceous fossil deposits in China are famous for their feathered dinosaurs. But the surprising discovery of a herbivorous dinosaur with a filamentous coat raises fresh questions about the evolution of feathers.

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Figure 1: Dinosaur relationships and skin characteristics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lawrence M. Witmer is in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, Ohio 45701, USA. witmerl@ohio.edu,

    Lawrence M. Witmer

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  1. Lawrence M. Witmer
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Witmer, L. Fuzzy origins for feathers. Nature 458, 294–295 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/458293a

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