Overview

• Feathers evolved from simple proto-feathers found in certain dinosaurs around 200 million years ago, with possible earlier origins in a common ancestor of dinosaurs and pterosaurs 240 million years ago.
• The Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) molecular signaling pathway was identified as critical to feather development and evolutionary diversification.
• Blocking the Shh pathway in chicken embryos temporarily recreated unbranched proto-feather-like structures, resembling those seen in early dinosaur evolution.
• Despite initial disruptions, feather formation in embryos partially recovered due to the robustness of the genetic network, ultimately resulting in normal plumage.
• The findings, published in PLOS Biology, provide new insights into how genetic interactions evolve to enable the emergence and diversification of complex traits like feathers.