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A new study by a former University of Alberta postdoctoral researcher sheds light on how dinosaurs’ feathers evolved from simple insulators into a flight-enabling feature.

The evolution took a complex path, with the formation of feathers that existed mainly for sex appeal acting as a vital stepping stone towards the dinosaurs that were no longer bound to the ground, according to the study.

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“There are three identifiable feather functions that we see spread out through the evolution of feather dinosaurs,” said Scott Persons, now the curator of the Mace Brown Museum in South Carolina’s College of Charleston, as well as a professor at the school. Before taking on that role, Persons completed his masters, PhD and postdoc studies at the U of A.

The first feathers had the role of insulating dinosaurs by containing their body heat, while the final type of feathers is the most fully developed, and the closest to those found on birds today. These let dinos glide or parachute through the air, the precursor to the evolution of flying birds.