A beetle is trapped in amber alongside a 99-million year old dinosaur feather. It was found in an amber market in Myanmar. (Ryan McKellar)

A recreation of what a Maniraptora would have looked like, based on a 99-million year old feather found preserved in amber. (Ryan McKellar)

CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks has a segment about a 99 million year old dinosaur tail feather locked in amber.  Found at an amber market in Myanmar, the feather was destined for jewellery before a paleontologist named Dr. Lida Xing stepped in an bought it.  The chunk of amber is about the side of a dried apricot and was analyzed at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum.  It’s thought to belong to a Maniraptor and was not a flight feather, but it sheds some light on the evolution of feathers.

The original paper appeared in Cell’s Current Biology.