RE: shedding light on plume shedding issue

[Tim Williams <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Jaime Headden wrote:

>   Plant fronds described as *Proornis* were originally described as 
> feathers,

That would be  _Praeornis sharovi_, from the Karatau Range (Late Jurassic) 
of Kazakhstan.  Rautian (1978) described _Praeornis_ based on an alleged 
bird feather; but almost everyone else regards it as a frond (Bock; Nessov; 
Feduccia).  Bock (1986) thought it was a cycad leaf.

Michael Mortimer wrote:

> Wouldn't the obvious reason for so many discovered shed parafeathers be 
> that they have a calamus equivalent (so would be expected to shed 
> periodically like feathers and fur), but are rather large and 
> distinctive-looking?

Do the isolated 'parafeathers' show any evidence of a calamus?  Based on the 
type specimen,  it is not at all clear how these 'parafeathers' are attached 
to the back of _Longisquama_.

> From another thread...

>   Well, there is an "upon" sense in this, in the sense that Prometheus
> proceeded the creation, and was the insigator, of the creation, of men, 
> while
> Epimetheus was the elaborator of them and creator of women, who came 
> "after',
> but were also an elaboration "upon", mankind. (In a sense, Epimetheus 
> created
> sex by developing an opposing image to men.)

My understanding of Greek mythology leads me to a different interpretation.  
Pandora, the first mortal woman, was created by the Olympian gods under the 
direction of Zeus.  She was named 'Pandora' because she had receive gifts 
from all of the gods (grace and beauty from Aphrodite; cunning from Hermes; 
etc).  Zeus offered Pandora in marriage to Epimetheus, and he accepted.  
This was despite the fact that Prometheus ('forethought') had warned his 
brother Epimetheus ('afterthought') not to accept any gift from Zeus.  But 
Epimethues, being without forethought, did not listen.  Sure enough, Pandora 
opened the jar that contained all of the ills that would afflict mankind; 
and mankind was thereafter cursed.  Only Hope stayed behind.

Prometheus had a son named Deucalion who married Epimetheus' daughter 
Pyrrha.  Deucalion and Pyrrha later built an ark, and survived a flood sent 
by Zeus to ravage the earth.  As with the notion that it was the first woman 
(Pandora) who brought about the downfall of humankind, the Deucalion-Pyrrha 
story from Greek myth has strong parallels with the Biblical account in 
Genesis.

Cheers

Tim