Scientists find out how bird feathers are arranged in waves

Bird feathers are technically still just a form of skin. It is really bizarre how such a simple organ as a skin can take so many forms. Hair is already quite an interesting structure, but feathers are even more complex. Now scientists have identified chemical signals that allow feathers to form in a wave-like motion, creating a regular pattern in the skin.

There are many different kinds of feathers and all of them perform different functions. Some of them are designed to help the bird fly, while others are meant for temperature regulation. Scientists note that flightless birds have their feathers arranged haphazardly, while flying ones have feathers arranged in waves. This is quite interesting, but researchers are not just interested in the function of these different patterns, but also in mechanisms how they form. A team of scientists, led be the University of Edinburgh, used high-powered microscopes to analyse the earliest stages of feather development in various bird species before they hatched.

Researchers focused on chicken embryos to track individual cells during the process. They say that while flightless birds, such as ostriches and emus, arrange their feathers haphazardly, flying ones like ducks, form their feathers in sweeping across the skin. This results in a regular hexagonal pattern. Of course, scientists were interested in the mechanism that allows for such an interesting feather formation. They found that this wave-motion was driven by a genetic signal called EDA and increasing cell numbers. Controlling the genetic factors would be very useful. Scientists could create domestic bird breeds that have a lower density of feathers, which would protect them from overheating in hotter climate countries.

Low and middle income countries are usually situated in southern regions and suffer from extremely high temperatures.  That means that their birds are in a never-ending threat of overheating. Denis Headon, one of the authors of the study, said: “we can now watch the process of organ development as it happens, giving deeper insights into how the embryonic body produces a complex anatomy through cells both moving and signalling to one another. As we uncover the mechanisms underlying how feather number is determined before chickens hatch, we can begin to explore ways of fine tuning feather density in farmed birds to be appropriate for the climate that they will inhabit”.

Domesticated birds are a very important food source in many cultures around the globe. They do not require a lot of feed or care so they would make perfect livestock for many poor families. Now scientists will try to see if they can prevent birds from overheating by employing the new knowledge about the feather formation.

Source: University of Edinburgh