Buzz
Paleontology is full of surprises, even for the most seasoned dinosaur experts. Each fossil can reveal new details about how these ancient creatures lived, ate, and survived.
Now, researchers have discovered that some dinosaurs could have benefited from using a special shampoo.
A study published in Nature Communications, examining 125-million-year-old fossils found in China, shows that dinosaurs experienced a condition we commonly see in humans: flaking skin that caused tiny dandruff flakes. This research offers insights into how dinosaurs shed their skin, a process that helped them develop tougher outer layers.
The specimens included skin and feathers from three different non-avian dinosaurs—the crow-sized Microraptor, the larger Beipiaosaurus and Sinornithosaurus—and one bird, Confuciusornis, all from the Early Cretaceous period. The feathers had small white blobs, 1-2 millimeters in size, that initially baffled scientists. After using an ion beam microscope, researchers identified the blobs as flakes of skin made up of corneocytes, tough cells filled with keratin. This discovery indicated that these dinosaurs shed skin like modern birds rather than peeling off large skin patches like other reptiles.
Today's bird corneocytes are filled with fats and loosely arranged keratin, which helps birds stay cool during intense activities such as flying. In contrast, the corneocytes in dinosaurs were packed tightly with keratin, likely offering little cooling effect. This suggests that these bird-like dinosaurs didn't spend much time in the air.
So, if they didn’t fly, why did they have feathers? It likely had to do with insulation and camouflage, helping them stay warm and protect themselves from predators and prey alike. Researchers plan to continue studying their feathers to uncover more insights.
