Chicago <i>Archaeopteryx</i> informs on the early evolution of the avian bauplan

doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08912-4

IVPP-IR

	*Chicago Archaeopteryx* informs on the early evolution of the avian bauplan**
	O'Connor, Jingmai1 ; Clark, Alexander 1,2; Kuo, Pei-Chen 1; Kiat, Yosef 3,4; Fabbri, Matteo 5; Shinya, Akiko 1; Van Beek, Constance 1; Lu, Jing 6; Wang, Min6 ; Hu, Han 6
	2025-05-29
发表期刊	NATURE
ISSN	0028-0836
卷号	641 期号:8065 页码:21
通讯作者	O'Connor, Jingmai(jingmai.oconnor@gmail.com) ; Hu, Han(huhan@ivpp.ac.cn)
摘要	Here we report on the nearly complete and uncrushed 14th specimen of Archaeopteryx. Exceptional preservation and preparation guided by micro-computed tomographic data make this one of the best exemplars of this iconic taxon, preserving important data regarding skeletal transformation and plumage evolution in relation to the acquisition of flight during early avian evolution. The ventrolaterally exposed skull reveals a palatal morphology intermediate between troodontids1 and crownward Cretaceous birds2,3. Modifications of the skull reflect the shift towards a less rigid cranial architecture in archaeopterygids from non-avian theropods. The complete vertebral column reveals paired proatlases and a tail longer than previously recognized. Skin traces on the right major digit of the hand suggest that the minor digit was free and mobile distally, contrary to previous interpretations4. The morphology of the foot pads indicates that they were adapted for non-raptorial terrestrial locomotion. Specialized inner secondary feathers called tertials5,6 are observed on both wings. Humeral tertials are absent in non-avian dinosaurs closely related to birds, suggesting that these feathers evolved for flight, creating a continuous aerodynamic surface. These new findings clarify the mosaic of traits present in Archaeopteryx, refine ecological predictions and elucidate the unique evolutionary history of the Archaeopterygidae, providing clues regarding the ancestral avian condition.
DOI	10.1038/s41586-025-08912-4
关键词[WOS]	SPECIMEN ; SKULL ; THEROPOD ; ANATOMY ; AVES ; ICHTHYORNIS ; SYSTEMATICS ; MORPHOLOGY ; WINGS ; BIRDS
收录类别	SCI
语种	英语
资助项目	National Natural Science Foundation of China[42225201]
项目资助者	National Natural Science Foundation of China
WOS研究方向	Science & Technology - Other Topics
WOS类目	Multidisciplinary Sciences
WOS记录号	WOS:001488418600001
出版者	NATURE PORTFOLIO
引用统计
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.205/handle/311034/24665
专题	中国科学院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所
通讯作者	O'Connor, Jingmai; Hu, Han
作者单位	1.Field Museum Nat Hist, Negaunee Integrat Res Ctr, Chicago, IL 60605 USA 2.Univ Chicago, Comm Evolutionary Biol, Chicago, IL USA 3.Tel Aviv Univ, Fac Life Sci, Sch Zool, Tel Aviv, Israel 4.Tel Aviv Univ, Steinhardt Museum Nat Hist, Tel Aviv, Israel 5.Johns Hopkins Univ, Ctr Funct Anat & Evolut, Sch Med, Baltimore, MD USA 6.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Vertebrate Paleontol & Paleoanthropol, Key Lab Vertebrate Evolut & Human Origins, Beijing, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	O'Connor, Jingmai,Clark, Alexander,Kuo, Pei-Chen,et al. Chicago Archaeopteryx informs on the early evolution of the avian bauplan[J]. NATURE,2025,641(8065):21.
APA	O'Connor, Jingmai.,Clark, Alexander.,Kuo, Pei-Chen.,Kiat, Yosef.,Fabbri, Matteo.,...&Hu, Han.(2025).Chicago Archaeopteryx informs on the early evolution of the avian bauplan.NATURE,641(8065),21.
MLA	O'Connor, Jingmai,et al."Chicago Archaeopteryx informs on the early evolution of the avian bauplan".NATURE 641.8065(2025):21.