Feathers
SciShow Tangents
The Quirky Science of Birds and Their 'Human' Origins
This chapter delves into the quirky idea of tiny human-like figures emerging from compost due to megapode birds hatching, while also examining the science of how birds shed feathers through a 'fright molt.' Featuring a 2006 study on stress-induced feather loss, the hosts blend humor with fascinating anecdotes about bird behavior and physical traits.
It may be well-known that hope is the thing with feathers, but how much is known about feathers themselves? Turns out, plenty! From shrub grouses to shuttlecocks and all the pea-babies (diminutive for peacocks, definitely for sure) in between, come soar on the delightfully complex wings of knowledge with us!
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[Truth or Fail]
Dermestid beetles on dino feather in amber
https://www.science.org/content/article/feathered-dinosaurs-discovered
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/986124
https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/dermestid-beetles-feasted-on-dinosaur-feathers
Badminton shuttlecock dino-birdie
https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/dinosaurs-ancient-fossils/liaoning-diorama/a-feathered-tyrant
https://australian.museum/learn/dinosaurs/fact-sheets/dilong-paradoxus/
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1030468
Roboduck with dino feathers
https://www.audubon.org/news/new-aquatic-dinosaur-find-strange-and-startling-avian-hodgepodge
[Trivia Question]
Speed of peacock tail feather shaking to signal interest to mates
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0152759
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0207247
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/12/peacock-crests-are-vibration-sensors/578656/
https://gizmodo.com/the-physics-of-peacock-tail-feathers-is-even-more-dazzl-1772653586
[Fact Off]
Turning waste chicken feathers into a flavorless, edible meat paste
https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/animals-slaughtered-for-meat?time=latest
https://phys.org/news/2017-09-bird-feathers-food.html
https://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=9055668&fileOId=9055675
https://www.thechemicalengineer.com/news/lund-team-turns-chicken-feathers-into-food/
Male sandgrouse belly feathers soak up water to carry back to their babies
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2022.0878
https://academic.oup.com/condor/article/69/4/323/5229138
https://ebird.org/species/namsan1
[Ask the Science Couch]
Feather growth and development (and altricial vs. precocial baby birds)
https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/feathers-article/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4380223/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6917565/
[Butt One More Thing]
Fright molt: losing tail feathers as an antipredator adaptation
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