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VOCABULARY LISTS > NEWS

Dinosaur feathers 24 words

February 5, 2010 By Ben Zimmer (New York, NY) Vocabulary.com Contributor Vocabulary.com Moderator
"Evidence Builds on Color of Dinosaurs" by Carl Zimmer.
New York Times, Feb. 5, 2010.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/science/05dino.html

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Definitions Notes & Examples Words Only
  1. theropod
    any of numerous carnivorous dinosaurs of the Triassic to Cretaceous with short forelimbs that walked or ran on strong hind legs
    The discovery, which the researchers reported last week in Nature, supports research showing that birds are dinosaurs, having descended from a group of bipedal dinosaurs called theropods.
  2. dinosaur
    any of numerous extinct terrestrial reptiles of the Mesozoic era
    Until last week, paleontologists could offer no clear-cut evidence for the color of dinosaurs.
  3. bipedal
    having two feet
    The discovery, which the researchers reported last week in Nature, supports research showing that birds are dinosaurs, having descended from a group of bipedal dinosaurs called theropods.
  4. John James Audubon
    United States ornithologist and artist (born in Haiti) noted for his paintings of birds of America (1785-1851)
    And now a team of paleontologists has published a full-body portrait of another dinosaur, in striking plumage that would have delighted that great painter of birds John James Audubon.
  5. predator
    any animal that lives by preying on other animals
    But white and black limb feathers might have helped Anchiornis escape predators.
  6. fossil
    the remains (or an impression) of a plant or animal that existed in a past geological age and that has been excavated from the soil
    In 2009, they demonstrated that melanosomes survived for millions of years in fossil bird feathers.
  7. scientist
    a person with advanced knowledge of one or more sciences
    The shape and arrangement of melanosomes help produce the color of feathers, so the scientists were able to get clues about the color of fossil feathers from their melanosomes alone.
  8. avatar
    the manifestation of a Hindu deity (especially Vishnu) in human or superhuman or animal form
    “This is actual science, not ‘Avatar,’ � said Richard O. Prum, an evolutionary biologist at Yale and co-author of the new study, published in Science.
  9. Jurassic
    of or relating to or denoting the second period of the Mesozoic era
    Given the full detail of the findings, Dr. Prum said, “it was like writing the first entry in a Jurassic field guide to feathered dinosaurs.�
  10. biologist
    (biology) a scientist who studies living organisms
    “This is actual science, not ‘Avatar,’ � said Richard O. Prum, an evolutionary biologist at Yale and co-author of the new study, published in Science.
  11. bristle
    a stiff hair
    The 125-million-year-old species Sinosauropteryx, for example, has bristles on its skin, and scientists found melanosomes in the tail bristles.
  12. plumage
    the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
    And now a team of paleontologists has published a full-body portrait of another dinosaur, in striking plumage that would have delighted that great painter of birds John James Audubon.
  13. black spot
    any of several fungous diseases of plants that produce small black spots on the plant
    Anchiornis had a crown of reddish feathers surrounding dark gray ones, and its face was mottled with reddish and black spots.
  14. mutation
    a change or alteration in form or qualities
    Dr. Prum speculated that studying these chickens might allow scientists to determine the specific mutations that gave rise to Anchiornis’s plumage.
  15. zebra
    any of several fleet black-and-white striped African equines
    A number of living animals like zebras use similar color patterns to dazzle predators, so that they can run away.
  16. natural history
    the scientific study of plants or animals (more observational than experimental) usually published in popular magazines rather than in academic journals
    Working with paleontologists at the Beijing Museum of Natural History and Peking University, the researchers began to study a 150-million-year-old species called Anchiornis huxleyi.
  17. evolutionary
    of or relating to or produced by evolution
    “This is actual science, not ‘Avatar,’ � said Richard O. Prum, an evolutionary biologist at Yale and co-author of the new study, published in Science.
  18. festoon
    an embellishment consisting of a decorative representation of a string of flowers suspended between two points; used on pottery or in architectural work
    The chicken-sized theropod was festooned with long feathers on its arms and legs.
  19. pigment
    dry coloring material (especially a powder to be mixed with a liquid to produce paint, etc.)
    Dr. Prum and his colleagues took advantage of the fact that feathers contain pigment-loaded sacs called melanosomes.
  20. sac
    an enclosed space
    Dr. Prum and his colleagues took advantage of the fact that feathers contain pigment-loaded sacs called melanosomes.
  21. rigor
    excessive sternness
    Luis M. Chiappe, a paleontologist at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County who was not involved in the research, praised the rigor and detail of the new study.
  22. biology
    the science that studies living organisms
    “There is a big chapter of dinosaur biology that we can open up now,� Mr. Vinther said.
  23. microscope
    magnifier of the image of small objects
    Mr. Vinther put the chips under a microscope and discovered melanosomes.
  24. science
    ability to produce solutions in some problem domain
    “This is actual science, not ‘Avatar,’ � said Richard O. Prum, an evolutionary biologist at Yale and co-author of the new study, published in Science.