Currently, if you see dandruff fall on the shoulders, you can immediately buy a special shampoo in the minimarket. But it turns out, since 125 million years ago, birds and feathered dinosaurs already have dandruff.
A recent study published in the journal Nature Communications reveals that ancient creatures shed their skin in small pieces - unlike today's reptiles.
Scientists who studied dinosaur feather fossils (microraptor, Beipiaosaurus, and Sinornithosaurus), found the existence of a "small white clump" there. They believe it is dandruff, because the skin is exactly the same as that of modern animals and humans.
Researchers have long questioned how furry dinosaurs shed their skin. Because, if removing all the skin as modern reptiles do, it will be difficult for them.
This new discovery suggests that breaking the skin into small pieces, evolved simultaneously with the appearance of feathers - right around the middle of the Jura (Jurrasic) period.
"There was an explosion of evolution at the time. It is interesting to know that the skin of birds and dinosaurs evolved rapidly in response to the growth of feathers, "said dr. Maria McNamara is a research leader from University College Cork, Ireland.
"The fossil cells are preserved with tremendous detail, down to the nano level of keratin fibers. What is remarkable is how fossil dandruff is almost identical to modern birds, "he added.
Nevertheless, there is a major difference between fossilized dandruff and that of modern birds. Fossilized skin cells, most of which do not contain fat as in modern birds. Scientists say this indicates that the ancient creatures never felt warm like the birds of today. Also because the feathered dinosaurs never flew in a long time.
0 komentar: