Well preserved Archaeopteryx fossil shows link between birds and dinosaurs.

[dlamberth]

"Archaeopteryx is the fossil that clearly demonstrated Darwin's views. It's the oldest known fossil bird, and it helps show that all birds -- including the ones alive today -- emerged from dinosaurs. And while the first Archaeopteryx fossil was found more than 160 years ago, scientists are continuing to learn new things about this ancient animal. A set of feathers never before seen in this species help explain why it could fly when many of its non-bird dinosaur cousins could not"

UV light and CT scans helped scientists unlock hidden details in a beautifully-preserved fossil Archaeopteryx

Stunning Archaeopteryx Fossil Found Intact — Scientists Are Speechless

 

[Gene2memE]

Great story, but also a little depressing.

This fossil was in the hands of private collectors for 22 years. Seems like even if it was going to stay in private hands, they could have given the palentologists some time with it.

Anyway, this updates our understanding of Archaeopteryx quite substantially and confirms a number of predictions made around intermediate morphologies.