中国科学家琥珀中发现恐龙标本 这事有多牛X？

Dinosaurs had feathered, chestnut brown tails with a pale underside, a newly found specimen reveals.

新近发现的标本表明，恐龙有覆着羽毛的栗褐色尾巴，且其尾巴底面是浅色的。

The tip of the tail was found in an ancient blob of amber tree resin.

恐龙尾巴的末端是在一块年代久远的琥珀树脂中发现的。

The amber was discovered by Dr Lida Xing from the China University of Geosciences at an amber market in Myanmar in 2015.

2015年，中国地质大学的邢立达博士在缅甸的一个琥珀市场上发现了这块琥珀。

It was initially thought to be plant remains and was destined to become a piece of jewellery until Xing rescued it.

最初，这块琥珀被当成一块植物化石，直到邢教授“解救”了它，才摆脱被制作成一件珠宝的命运。

The tail belonged to a small, flightless dinosaur that lived in the mid-Cretaceous period around 99 million years ago.

这条尾巴属于9900万年前生活在白垩纪中期的一只不会飞的小恐龙。

And the rare find sheds light on the evolution of feathers from dinosaurs to modern birds, which cannot be gleaned from normal fossil remains.

这个罕见的发现说明了，从恐龙到现代鸟类，羽毛在其身上的演化，而从普通化石中则无法得出这样的结论。

The incredible discovery reveals the feathered tail of a non-avian theropod that perished approximately 99 million years ago.

这项惊人的发现展示了一只非鸟类的兽脚亚目恐龙覆着羽毛的尾巴，而这只恐龙在9900万年前就灭亡了。

Dr Ryan McKellar, Curator of Invertebrate Palaeontology at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Canada, said: 'The new material preserves a tail consisting of eight vertebrae from a juvenile. These are surrounded by feathers.’

加拿大萨斯喀彻温省皇家博物馆馆长、无脊椎动物古生物学博士赖安·麦凯勒表示，“保存尾巴的新材料中有一只幼年恐龙的8节椎骨。且这些椎骨被羽毛所包围。”

'We can be sure of the source because the vertebrae are not fused into a rod or pygostyle as in modern birds and their closest relatives.’

“我们可以相信这种信息来源，因为这些椎骨没有像现代鸟类及其亲缘动物那样融合成一根或一节尾综骨。”

'Instead, the tail is long and flexible, with keels of feathers running down each side.'

“而且，这条尾巴又长又柔韧，且顺着尾巴的每一面，羽毛的骨架逐渐减少。”

Dr McKellar added that the feathers are definitely those of a dinosaur and not a prehistoric bird.

麦凯勒博士补充道，这些羽毛一定源自一只恐龙而不是一只史前鸟类。

'Amber pieces preserve tiny snapshots of ancient ecosystems, but they record microscopic details, three-dimensional arrangements, and tissues that are difficult to study in other settings,' Dr McKellar said.

麦凯勒博士指出，“这块琥珀保存了古代生态系统的简况，但它们也记录了其微小细节和立体构造，以及很难在其他背景下研究到的动物组织。”

'This is a new source of information that is worth researching with intensity and protecting as a fossil resource.'

“这是一种新的信息来源，值得进行大量的研究，也应将其作为一种化石资源保护起来。”

He hopes future finds from the region 'will reshape our understanding of plumage and soft tissues in dinosaurs and other vertebrates.'

他希望，未来在这个领域里的发现“将改变我们对鸟类羽毛以及恐龙和其他脊椎动物软组织的理解。”