Re: development and evolutionary origin of feathers

["Patrick Norton" <ptnorton@email.msn.com>]

Kendall wrote:

>the aerodynamic hypothesis for the origin of feathers is incompatible with
the most salient feature of feather development<

I'm not sure who, if anyone(?), on this list has ever argued for an
aerodynamic >origin< of feathers.  Several people, including myself, have
argued that natural selection has acted on the aerodynamic qualities of
feathers--or dino-fuzz, or whatever you want to call it--to select for
improved maneuverability (turning, leaping, braking or gliding). I don't
really care; maybe DFCF (dino-fuzz came first) is a reasonable alternative.

>selection for an aerodynamic function could only have taken place after the
evolution of the closed pennaceous, bipinnate feather<

This contradicts other published works, which I've referenced in earlier
posts.

Pat