@MontereyJack,
Howdy--
Ive found the abstract of the Prum and Brush 2002 paper for LEADFOOT's benefit. This is the first "modern" paper on feather evolution since it showed that the finds of several Therazinosaurs, and Theropods, and that complex feathers were clearly evidencing evolutionary steps in the fossil record on dinosaurs like CAUDIPTERIX, VELOCIRAPROR, and even some Ornithichian dinosaurs like PROTOCERATOPS from late Jurassic through closure of the Cretaceous wipe out.(After Prum and Brush, there came a ton of scientific papers that sorta closed the feather argument that Creationists loved, and it was all done by an overwhelming treasure trove of feathered dino and bird fossils from all over the world- so the complete line from dinos to birds int a black hole with missing fossils anymore)
The feathers on the Theropods from China showed that a complex barbule ridge was developed which supported complex rachii and symmetrical feathers that were probably highly colored (the fossils showed only evidences of dark and light shades of browns
These feathers were probably used just for sexual selection or territory display (like a peacock's feathers).
Mid to late K bird species , while their feathers were adapted to flying , they still retained the evolutionary connection to Therapod fether structure with a complex rachis and barbule ridges.(Its an evidentiary fact that these early birds, like GANSUS (from Laioning China fossil beds), IBEROMESORNIS (from Spain chalk lagerstattes),ICHTHYORNIS(from the fossil beds of the US "inland sea" beds of the Cretaceous had modern bird features but retained the feathering patterns and bills with TEETH, (just like the dawn bird ARCHEOPTERYX from the LAte Jurassic.
Gunga'a story has never changed in the 12 years hes been here despite the fact that the data base from modern Paleo work has gone so much beyond his babblings of asserted "Truths" that he must be challenged to prevent rookies like Leadfot from being dazzled by the "shiny pieces of metal" that gunga acquires from Creationist web ites.
"FAKE NEWS" and "FAKE SCIENCE" have lots in common.Iwish gunga would learn
(Sorry for being a noodge but LEadfoot actually got me aroused when he was impressed by gunga's garbage and thought it was credible)
Quote: The evolutionary origin and diversification of feathers.
Prum RO1, Brush AH.
Author information
Abstract
Progress on the evolutionary origin and diversification of feathers has been hampered by conceptual problems and by the lack of plesiomorphic feather fossils. Recently, both of these limitations have been overcome by the proposal of the developmental theory of the origin of feathers, and the discovery of primitive feather fossils on nonavian theropod dinosaurs. The conceptual problems of previous theories of the origin of feathers are reviewed, and the alternative developmental theory is presented and discussed. The developmental theory proposes that feathers evolved through a series of evolutionary novelties in developmental mechanisms of the follicle and feather germ. The discovery of primitive and derived fossil feathers on a diversity of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs documents that feathers evolved and diversified in nonavian theropods before the origin of birds and before the origin of flight. The morphologies of these primitive feathers are congruent with the predictions of the developmental theory. Alternatives to the theropod origin of feathers are critique and rejected. Hypotheses for the initial function of feathers are reviewed. The aerodynamic theory of feather origins is falsified, but many other functions remain developmentally and phylogenetically plausible. Whatever their function, feathers evolved by selection for a follicle that would grow an emergent tubular appendage. Feathers are inherently tubular structures. The homology of feathers and scales is weakly supported. Feathers are composed of a suite of evolutionary novelties that evolved by the duplication, hierarchical organization, interaction, dissociation, and differentiation of morphological modules. The unique capacity for modular subdivision of the tubular feather follicle and germ has fostered the evolution of numerous innovations that characterize feathers. The evolution of feather keratin and the molecular basis of feather development are also discussed
Most of the honest Creationists like Steve Austen have pretty much shut up about the "feather mystery" ever since the mid 2000's. In that respwect gunga doesnt even know hes a Luddite among his own crowd of chosen authorities
