# Feather in 99-million-year-old amber had a shaft that bent about ten times more than a modern one

- Published: 2026-11-11 16:39 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Biology & biochemistry
- Tags: feather in amber, 99 million years, Myanmar amber, evolution of feathers, origin of flight, flight feather, feather shaft, Gondwana Research, fossil feather
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-841d3b4397bfc269d71a2192_feather_in_99/

**Researchers examined the longest feather ever found in amber, from Myanmar. It was large and well formed, yet its shaft was thin and lacked the structures that give modern feathers strength.**

![Feather in 99-million-year-old amber had a shaft that bent about ten times more than a modern one](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/df7005912a7ae524.jpg)
*Наука 2.0*

Researchers studied the longest feather ever found in amber and obtained new data on the evolution of plumage. The results were published in the journal Gondwana Research and reported by Nauka [1]. The feather belonged to an ancient dinosaur or an early bird. It was trapped in tree resin about 99 million years ago, in the territory of present-day Myanmar [1]. Most fossil feathers are flattened during fossilization, but this one kept its three-dimensional shape, which allowed the team to study the details of its structure [1].

## Similar outside, different inside

The team led by Shuo Wang of East China Normal University in Shanghai examined the feather with a light microscope, without removing it from the amber [1]. Outwardly it resembled a modern flight feather: it was large and had a well-developed shape [1]. However, its central shaft turned out to be unusually thin and lacked some internal structures that give strength to the feathers of modern birds [1].

The researchers also found none of the tiny hooks that hold the elements of the vane together. In modern birds these connections help the feather withstand loads during flight [1]. External similarity therefore does not mean that ancient and modern feathers had the same mechanical properties [1].

## Airflow test in a model

To assess the strength of the find, the scientists used measurements of the feather in computer modelling. They compared how two shafts respond to airflow: one reproducing the structure of the ancient specimen and one of a modern type [1]. Under identical conditions, the model of the ancient shaft bent about ten times more than the modern one [1]. This points to another difference between the ancient feather and feathers adapted for flight [1].

According to the authors, the find shows that large feathers of complex shape appeared before they acquired the strength needed for effective flight [1]. The results help clarify the order in which the features of feathers required for flight developed [1].

## Sources

1. [Наука 2.0](https://naukatv.ru/news/o_chyom_rasskazyvaet_pero_vozrastom_99_millionov_let_ob_evolyutsii_polyota)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-841d3b4397bfc269d71a2192_feather_in_99/