In 1861, scientists discovered Arhaeopteryx, a dinosaur with feathers, in 150 million -year -old limestone in Solnhofen, Germany. They didn’t know it at the time, but that fossilized skeleton – and the different ones – provided an important evidence for the theory of evolution, as well as for the fact that birds were actually dinosaurs.
Archeopteryx copies: “Perhaps more than any other fossil, the way we see the world changed,” said Jingmai O’Connor, a paleontologist in the Field Museum in Chicago.
For more than 164 years, researchers have placed every detail of available copies and tried to puzzle how birds came to fly. That is why you could expect that such a well -studied fossil species are unable to surprise. But in a paper Published on Wednesday in the journal NatureDr. O’Connor and a team of researchers previously unveiled not -registered soft tissues and skeletal details of a new monster, known as the Chicago Archeopteryx. What they found also helps to explain why some feathered dinosaurs got off the ground, even if it was only for short-distance flights.
The capacities of Archeopteryx during the flight extend and how it fits in his environment has long been difficult, Dr. O’Connor. The majority of the copies are flattened by geology, making it difficult to distinguish important skeletal details. And although the earliest discoverers and most modern scientists have concluded that the species could probably start, certain physical characteristics have paleontologists who are looking for more data.
The newest copy, taken over by the Field Museum in 2022 and on public display since 2024, stood the team of Dr. O’Connor able to tackle some of the anatomical uncertainties.
When the fossil arrived in the museum, it didn’t look that way. The copy had the same color as the surrounding rock, and most of the remains of the soft tissue were hard to see, Dr. O’Connor.
The researchers scan the fossil and built a digital map of the skeleton to guide their preparation of the album. They also had a secret weapon: due to a grill of chemistry, soft tissue is stored in certain sediments that glow under UV light, so that the team can accidentally be removed feathers or skin structures while they discover bone. That technology was not available for fossil preparators in the 19th century.
Unlike other specimens, the bones of the Chicago Archeopteryx were kept in three dimensions and Dr. O’Connor better evaluate the palate of the skull. That showed the earliest signs of an evolutionary process to the skulls of modern birds, which are more mobile than those of prehistoric birds, Dr. O’Connor.
In another happy accident with fossilization, the wings of the carcass were separated from the body, so that they “kept clearly and certainly stored,” said Dr. O’Connor. In the case of close inspection, the team confirmed that instead of two layers of wing springs, as observed in earlier copies, Archeopteryx actually had three. In modern birds, that third layer helps to link the shorter forearm to the body to create a continuous lift surface, so that birds can support the flight.
Dr. O’Connor noted that the shape of the wing is a contrast with other feathered not -bird dinosaurs, whose long feathers “hard stop at the elbow,” she said, making them Handy but ultimately flightless decorations.
Although the lack of a breastbone still means that the bird would probably have been a relatively bad flyer, toe blocks in the feet of the Chicago Archeopteryx proof add evidence to the assumption that the species was skilled in life on the ground, Dr. O’Connor. The species would therefore have lived like a Jurassic Chicken or Roadrunner: able to fly in short bursts when needed, but otherwise prefer sprinting.
The newly reported functions are a nice addition to existing views of Archaeopteryx, and they offer direct support for the current hypotheses about the possibilities of the species and the relationship to the origin of the flight, said Michael Pittman, a paleontologist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who was not involved in the study.
“This study beautifully emphasizes the importance of discovering new fossils, even of well -known and well -studied copies,” he said.
Dr. O’Connor agreed.
“This copy will keep me busy for years,” she said.
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