Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Feathers, filaments and theropod dinosaurs

Nature volume 391, pages 119–120 (1998)Cite this article

One of the hottest debates in palaeontology is whether birds evolved from dinosaurs. A study of two exceptionally well-preserved specimens of a theropod dinosaur from China — complete with skin, internal organs and eggs — provides new clues to the origin of feathers.

Ever since John Ostrom resuscitated the idea in the 1970s, palaeontologists have been piling up the evidence in favour of theropod dinosaurs as the ancestors of birds. Recently, the gap between theropods and birds has been narrowed even further. Important avian characters, such as the furcula (wishbone), have been discovered in theropods thought to be close to birds1. And typical theropod characteristics, such as an enlarged claw on digit two of the foot, have been found in early birds2. The final, clinching fact would be the discovery of evidence of feathers — a defining feature of birds — in theropods.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Reconstruction of Sinosauropteryx by Michael W. Skrepnick.
Figure 2: The relationships of Sinosauropteryx to other dinosaurs.

References

  1. Norell, M. A., Mackovicky, P. & Clark, J. M. Nature 389, 447 (1997).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Forster, C. A., Chiappe, L. M., Krause, D. W. & Sampson, S. D. J. Vert. Paleontol. 16, (Suppl.) 34A (1996).

  3. Hecht, J. New Scientist No. 2052, 7 (1996).

  4. Padian, K. J. Vert. Paleontol. 17, (Suppl.) 68A (1997).

  5. Geist, N. R., Jones, T. D. & Ruben, J. A. J. Vert. Paleontol. 17, (Suppl.) 48A (1997).

  6. Chen, P., Dong, Z. & Zhen, S. Nature 391, 147–152 (1998).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Ruben, J. A., Jones, T. D., Geist, N. R. & Hillenius, W. J. Science 278, 1267–1270 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Hecht, J. New Scientist No. 2094, 32-35 (1997).

  9. Hou, L., Martin, L. D., Zhou, Z. & Feduccia, A. Science 274, 1164–1167 (1996).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Currie, P. J. in Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs (eds Currie, P. J. & Padian, K.) 241 (Academic, San Diego, 1997).

  11. Briggs, D. E. G., Wilby, P. R., Pérez-Moreno, B. P., Sanz, J. L. & Fregenal-Martinez, M. J. Geol. Soc. (Lond.) 154, 587-588 (1997).

  12. Kellner, A. W. A. Nature 379, 32 (1996).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Ji, Q. & Ji, S. A. Chin. Geol. 238, 38–41 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Department of Geology, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK

    D. M. Unwin

Authors
  1. D. M. Unwin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Unwin, D. Feathers, filaments and theropod dinosaurs. Nature 391, 119–120 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/34279

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/34279

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing