Feather found in dinosaur poop may explain how birds survived the asteroid that killed dinosaurs

Tyrannosaur preying on an ancient diving bird (Representational AI photo) A 66-million-year-old feather found inside fossilised dinosaur poop may offer a clue to why some birds survived the asteroid impact that wiped out most dinosaurs. Scientists say the feather belonged to a hesperornithiform, an extinct group of aquatic birds that lived alongside dinosaurs.The feather was preserved inside a coprolite, the scientific term for fossilised faeces. Researchers found several feathers, tiny fish scales and leg bones belonging to a hesperornithiform bird inside the fossil.The discovery, reported in the journal Current Biology and reported by Science Daily, suggests that feathers may have played a role in determining which birds survived the mass extinction. Hesperornithiforms lived in aquatic environments but disappeared along with most other birds, while one branch, known as Neornithes, survived and eventually gave rise to every bird species alive today.About 66 million years ago, an asteroid struck Earth and caused a mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous Period. Dust and debris entered the atmosphere, reducing sunlight and causing severe cooling known as an impact winter. Most ...