"Unlike virtually every other feather color, no pigment turns feathers blue. We've known that for decades. Instead, it's long been thought that a layer of cells on blue birds' feathers reflected light at blue wavelengths, similar to the phenomenon that makes the sky blue." Now, however, scientists have another explanation. [more inside]
posted by metastability on Feb 5, 2009 - 13 comments

A gay boy wished for a planet full of unicorns, Planet Unicorn, Unicorn Planet! Episode: two, three.
posted by milarepa on Jun 21, 2007 - 52 comments

The Feather Book, digitized by and on display at McGill University: A seventeenth-century book containing illustrations of birds and men -- composed of real feathers, beaks, and claws. More information about the book and its contents and history can be read here.
posted by Gator on Jul 20, 2006 - 14 comments

Pillow Fight Club went off with nary a hitch in San Francisco on Valentines Day with over 1,000 people in attendance. Pictures at laughing squid, flickr, video, and previous thread.
posted by sourbrew on Feb 17, 2006 - 16 comments

The Feather Distribution Project collects molted wild turkey, macaw and parrot feathers and distributes them, free of charge, to Pueblo Indians for use in traditional religious ceremonies.
posted by gudrun on May 5, 2003 - 3 comments

In case you thought you have already heard every crazy idea in the world, an Israeli geneticist has bred a featherless chicken. This changes everything.
posted by adampsyche on May 20, 2002 - 23 comments