A recently acquired Archaeopteryx fossil at Chicago&rsquos Field Museum provides remarkable 3D preservation, including soft tissues rarely seen in other specimens. Using UV light and CT scans, scientists discovered tertial feathers, crucial for powered flight, suggesting that Archaeopteryx could fly, though likely for short distances. Other findings indicate ground foraging habits and early developments of flexible skull movement seen in modern birds.

This fossil strengthens Archaeopteryx&rsquos role as a key evolutionary link between non-avian dinosaurs and modern birds. Its excellent preservation offers new insights into one of the most significant transitions in Earth&rsquos evolutionary history, where certain dinosaurs survived the mass extinction and evolved into today&rsquos birds.This fossil slab, acquired by the Field Museum in 2022, may not look like much to the untrained eye, but the "spectacular" specimen has yielded a wealth of information about the earliest known bird. Delaney Drummond/Field Museum

Researchers stress the importance of public scientific access to such rare fossils, as private ownership can hinder research for decades. With more analysis underway, scientists believe this remarkable specimen will continue to reveal new details about the early evolution of birds.