Cover caption: Birds have flight, contour, downy, and tail feather types, all of which serve different functions, with flight feathers conferring the ability to fly. A flight feather is made of two adaptable modules: the major shaft (rachis) and the vane. In this issue, Chang et al. study the molecular mechanisms of rachis and barb hooklet formation. Using quantitative biophysical approaches, they analyze feather rachis organization in birds with different flight characteristics and determine how multidimensional functionality can be achieved in the development and evolution of flight feathers for adaptation to different eco-spaces. The cover shows a photo of a Taiwan Blue Magpie with fully displayed feathers. Photo credit: Shao Hua Lang of Bird Photography Club in Taiwan.

Video abstract link (6 minute)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKuoVu4aOkg

Paper link in CELL

https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1a8FUL7PXYX2a

Resource: https://www.cell.com/cell/current#