Science Saturday: Because who doesn't love dinosaurs?

Breakthrough of the Week
Dinosaur Feathers Have Been Found in Ancient Amber, Spared no Expense.

On a side note, congratulations to all Dumb & Dumber fans!

Why is this significant?
Straight out of Jurassic Park, another big step towards understanding dinosaurs has happened through the studying of fossilized amber. Interestingly enough, the amber wasn't dug up from the ground (at least not recently) but rather the samples came from museum archives. The answer was hiding under our noses the whole time! Now, for our generation this might not be that big of a deal. In fact, when Jurassic Park came out in 1993 (fucking 20 years ago fml) the debate over the genetic fate of dinosaurs was already leaning towards the fact that dinosaurs evolved into modern day birds, not lizards.

Keep in mind that the world Dinosaur itself means "giant lizard". But can you blame scientists of the 19th and 20th centuries for thinking this way? Tales of dragons and giant lizards have littered just about every separate cultural mythology of the human race. The great part about science is that the only thing to disprove it is further scientific research.

This discovery further tips the scale that dinosaurs are the ancient ancestors of our modern birds.

How is this significant?
Besides changing how we view the lineage of dinosaurs, it also changes how we view the behavior and nature of these animals. The feathers discovered in this amber were no ordinary feathers, but they varied in size, color and function - some fit for flying, others for diving, meaning that these dinosaurs were more than stupid lizards rumbling around, they were likely just as diverse as all of our modern bird species.

Clever Girl

Perhaps the most enticing part about this discovery confirmation is that it causes us to completely rethink how we envision dinosaurs. Don't get me wrong, reptiles are cool and all, but birds are so much better - think about how many different niches they fill and all the variations in function, size, etc. Very exciting. Just consider this classic Sir David Attenborough nature documentary about the variations in sexual selection amongst the birds of paradise:

Other, random, Dinosaur Musings
-Sadly, it is highly unlikely that dinosaur DNA will ever be recovered, RIP Jurassic Park.... or at least how Michael Crichton envisioned it.
-Still, other resurrections of extinct species might still be possible! 
-Another highly-debated topic discussed in Jurassic Park, dinosaurs were likely warm blooded, further distancing dinosaurs from reptiles.
-An asteroid was likely the cause behind the major extinction of dinosaurs, paving the way for the rise mammals, and thus humans. (old news, but still debated)