Overview
- Researchers at the University of Geneva briefly interfered with the Sonic Hedgehog gene in broiler chicken embryos to probe how feathers form.
- The intervention produced simple, tube-shaped filaments that resemble the primitive protoplumes seen in early dinosaurs.
- As development continued, the embryos’ regulatory networks restored typical growth and the chicks hatched with normal plumage.
- The authors say the findings show latent ancestral programs can be switched on for a short window under controlled conditions.
- The study reports that feather form reflects many inputs, including gene networks like Sonic Hedgehog, the egg environment, and timing, which together keep avian development highly stable.