When the naturalist Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species in 1859, arguing that animal species are not strange creations but the products of gradual change, many people were hostile. However, a year later, a feather was found that confirmed his theory and allowed it to gain general acceptance.
Scott Travers, an evolutionary biologist at Rutgers University, wrote about it in a column in Forbes magazine.
He shared that in 1860, a feather was found in limestone quarries near Solnhofen in Germany, which proved that the evolutionary process produces transitional forms of beings with both ancestral and derived features.
Travers added that in 1861, German palaeontologist Hermann von Meyer described the feather and named the species Archaeopteryx lithographica. The asymmetry of the feather suggested that it was a flight feather, possibly belonging to an ancient bird.
The biologist noted that scientists were uncertain whether the feather belonged to a bird or a reptile. At the time, the boundaries between the two species were strictly defined in the scientific community, but the idea of a transitional animal blurred them.
Later, von Meijer learned of a much more complete fossil, a skeleton preserved in the same Solnhofen limestone. Known as the “London specimen”, it was acquired by the British Museum in 1861 for £700, or about US$126 000 today.
The biologist pointed out that Archaeopteryx lithographica was unique in having feathers, jaws and wings that resembled modern birds. At the same time, the species had a long bony tail, teeth and claws on its wings, which are normally found in reptiles.
Travers said that more than a decade later, a “Berlin specimen” was found near the city of Eichstadt in Germany. This was a more complete fossil of Archaeopteryx lithographica, with an intact skull and perfectly preserved feathers.
This specimen explained much about the anatomy and lifestyle of this species. Its feathers confirmed its ability to fly. Scientists have confirmed that this creature is indeed a transitional species.
Other studies by scientists
Earlier, palaeontologists discovered a 5-million-year-old fossil of a giant flying squirrel in an unexpected place. The fossils have already “painted” a picture for experts of what the Earth looked like more than four million years ago.
Scientists have also found a frozen beetle that has come back to life after 46 000 years of “hibernation”. According to the researchers, the worm spent most of its existence in suspended animation.
