Latest in Science: Study Reveals Hairs, Feathers And Scales Of Animals Share A Common Ancestor

Ever wondered why there are so many types of skin appendages and where they originate? Scales, feathers, and hairs look entirely different from one another but do they come from a common ancestor?

A new study from the University of Geneva and the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics suggests that feathers, scales, and hairs might be linked to the same ancestor, as reported by Daily Mail. The way feathers, scales and hairs develop were found to be similar according to a paper published in the Science Advances journal.

When the embryo develops, a certain system signals the organism's skin to begin prepping an area where an appendage can grow. After receiving the signal, the skin's top layer would thicken where an anatomical structure called a placode will form.

Christian Science Monitor reports that the said placodes are linked to the development of bird feathers and mammal hair. It was difficult for the team, however, to locate the placodes during the embryonic development of scales in reptiles.

According to Science Mag, the team used scanning electron microscopes in order to view the tiny embryos. A placode was seen where a scale grew. It is tricky to find these placodes because according to one of the study's authors, Dr. Michel Milinkovitch, they only appear "at the right place at the right time."

After proving that placodes do form in reptiles, the study concluded that the common association of scales, hairs and feathers is the placode. It signals the skin where the appendages would grow and also determine the spaces between each hair, scale, or feather (via Christian Science Monitor).

As per Daily Mail, a US study last year found out hairs, scales, and feathers have a common embryonic rate. According Dr. Milinkovitch, their new study provides new molecular data to support the findings of the US team and also reveal micro-anatomical facts.

The study could end a running debate in evolutionary biology, as said by Science Mag. Mammal hair and bird feathers are already believed to develop from placodes and with the findings of this study, it is now better understood where scales of reptiles also come from.

What other body parts of birds, reptiles, and mammals are you curious about and that researchers should study? Share your thoughts on the Comments section below and follow Parent Herald for more news and updates.