Scientists changed scales on chicken feet to feathers by tweaking a single gene

By tweaking a particular gene, scientists have found a approach to completely remodel the scales on a hen’s ft into feathers. The outcomes present new perception into the fowl’s evolutionary origins from dinosaurs.

“Like birds, it is clear at present that many dinosaurs have been partially lined with feathers in addition to scales,” stated Michel Milinkovitch, a professor within the Division of Genetics and Evolution on the College of Geneva and co-author of the brand new analysis. “In birds, it is related. So, by altering this gene, we are able to really develop or lower the proportion of the physique that is lined by feathers or scales relying on when this gene is strictly expressed.”