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USC Scientists Uncover Secrets Of Feather Formation
University Of Southern California / ScienceDaily.com ^ | 10/31/2002 | Cheng-Ming Chuong, et al

Posted on 10/31/2002 6:51:38 AM PST by forsnax5

Los Angeles, Oct. 30, 2002 - Scientists from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California have, for the first time, shown experimentally the steps in the origin and development of feathers, using the techniques of molecular biology. Their findings will have implications for the study of the morphogenesis of various epithelial organs-from hairs to lung tissue to mammary glands-and is already shedding light on the controversy over the evolution of dinosaur scales into avian feathers.

(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: animalhusbandry; crevolist; dietandcuisine; dinosaurevolution; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble
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The question of what makes a feather a feather has become rather heated in the recent past, with the discovery in China in the 1990s of fossilized dinosaurs like the Sinorthosaurus (Chinese-bird-dinosaur), with branching skin appendages on its skin. "Some say these things are feathers, some say they're protofeathers, others say they're not feathers at all," Chuong explains. "Everybody wants to know which one is the real first feather."

Time for a heated discussion of chicken feathers, eh?

1 posted on 10/31/2002 6:51:38 AM PST by forsnax5
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To: *crevo_list; VadeRetro; PatrickHenry; Junior; jennyp; general_re; balrog666; gore3000; ...
Jurassic Chicken PING!
2 posted on 10/31/2002 6:56:15 AM PST by forsnax5
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To: forsnax5
What came first, the chicken or the feather.
3 posted on 10/31/2002 7:05:19 AM PST by Mark Felton
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To: forsnax5
It's all a lie, I tell you!  I have personally disproven evolution, chemistry, astronomy, geology and all other false atheistic, Nazi communist one-world government scientific slime!

[/LBB mode]

4 posted on 10/31/2002 7:12:49 AM PST by Junior
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To: forsnax5
from hairs to lung tissue to mammary glands

When I was in college, research into the nature and origin of mamary glands was also of prime interest.

5 posted on 10/31/2002 7:15:30 AM PST by Blue Screen of Death
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To: Junior
It's all a lie, I tell you!

You beat me to it. But I can't help wondering ... what must it be like, trying desperately to stamp out all new discoveries, all over the world? Gotta be frustrating.

6 posted on 10/31/2002 7:20:51 AM PST by PatrickHenry
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To: Blue Screen of Death
I've made it my life's work.
7 posted on 10/31/2002 7:21:33 AM PST by WaveThatFlag
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To: PatrickHenry
what must it be like, trying desperately to stamp out all new discoveries, all over the world?

What's the new discovery, Patrick? Can you summarize it for all of us.

That should make things clearer, thanks in advance.

8 posted on 10/31/2002 7:23:50 AM PST by tallhappy
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To: Mark Felton
What came first, the chicken or the feather.

The evil chicken franchise that exploits the chicken for profit.

A chicken is the way eggs make other eggs.

9 posted on 10/31/2002 7:31:06 AM PST by Lysander
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To: PatrickHenry
Kinda like Larry Niven's ARM...
10 posted on 10/31/2002 7:31:31 AM PST by Junior
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To: Junior
Do you have anything substantive to say?

In any case, this article gives more evidence that the Darwininian viewpoint is unfalsifiable. No matter what evidence is found, it will be used as an "I told you so" at some point even though the record will show otherwise.

From the source article.

The standing hypothesis among many paleontologists has long been that the scales on dinosaurs must have lengthened into rachides that then became notched to form barbs and barbules. But there has been no real molecular evidence to either back up or refute that argument. Until now.

In their Nature paper, Chuong and his colleagues have demonstrated just how barbs and rachides are formed in a modern chicken, and have at the same time demonstrated that the evolution from scale to feather most likely followed a path in which the barbs form first and fuse to form a rachis-rather than a rachis forming first, and then being sculpted into barbs and barbules. This interaction between evolutionary biology and developmental biology (dubbed Evo-Devo) is a relatively new marriage of two previously disparate fields.

The point I am making is that this will be used, as you indirectly infer, as evidence that supports your viewpoint. If the opposite had occurred, i.e. the rachis forming first, you would have said the same thing.

11 posted on 10/31/2002 7:32:37 AM PST by AndrewC
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To: forsnax5
This interaction between evolutionary biology and developmental biology (dubbed Evo-Devo) is a relatively new marriage of two previously disparate fields.

Are we not men??

We are DEVO!!

12 posted on 10/31/2002 7:38:36 AM PST by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: AndrewC
The way I read this, it was previously thought that the rachis formed first, but that is now known to be incorrect. In fact, it seems that the barbs of feathers formed first and later fused to form a rachis.
13 posted on 10/31/2002 7:41:01 AM PST by general_re
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To: PatrickHenry; Junior
Hey guys. Help us out. This is from the article.

Here, we use a developmental approach to analyse molecular mechanisms in feather-branching morphogenesis. We have used the replication-competent avian sarcoma retrovirus to deliver exogenous genes to regenerating flight feather follicles of chickens.

Can you explain this to us?

And then summarize what the new discovery is?

14 posted on 10/31/2002 7:43:06 AM PST by tallhappy
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To: Blue Screen of Death
When I was in college, research into the nature and origin of mamary glands was also of prime interest

Naturally, many characterization studies were likely required.

15 posted on 10/31/2002 7:43:36 AM PST by doc30
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To: Junior; scripter; Heartlander; f.Christian; gore3000
Another revealing comment from the article is this quote from the scientist.

"While Darwin's theory has explained the 'why' of evolution, much of the 'how' remains to be learned," Chuong adds. "Evo-Devo research promises a new level of understanding."

Why is a motive, typically unfalsifiable.

16 posted on 10/31/2002 7:48:47 AM PST by AndrewC
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To: general_re
The way I read this,

Yes, that is the way I read it. My point being that this would be touted as evidence for the Darwininian view no matter what the outcome.

17 posted on 10/31/2002 7:51:18 AM PST by AndrewC
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To: AndrewC
On the other hand, the previous theory on feather formation has now been neatly falsified.

Setting that aside, in your opinion, what possible outcome of such a study would have undeniably falsified evolutionary theory?

18 posted on 10/31/2002 7:55:19 AM PST by general_re
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To: general_re
Setting that aside, in your opinion, what possible outcome of such a study would have undeniably falsified evolutionary theory?

No outcome. That is my point.

19 posted on 10/31/2002 7:56:52 AM PST by AndrewC
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To: Mark Felton; no one in particular
What came first, the chicken or the feather.

Anyone have a photo of the featherless chickens? (They were bred in Israel, IIRC)...

20 posted on 10/31/2002 8:02:45 AM PST by null and void
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