Genes linked to feather development predate dinosaurs

A deep dive into the genetic code of chickens, crocodiles, turtles, fish and other creatures suggests that some of the genes needed to make feathers may have existed more than 100 million years before dinosaurs sported hints of the fluffy plumage. These genes may at first have had less to do with feather origins, and instead helped animals transition to land, researchers report November 18 in Molecular Biology and Evolution. The team also suggests that an ancestor of dinosaurs, crocodiles and birds may have worn some type of precursory plumage.