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bremstar OP t1_ixunl12 wrote

Reply to comment by atomfullerene in How can a feather keep it's color for so long, when other parts of many biological things tend to fade after they are no longer alive or part of said thing? by bremstar

This raises another question then; how do feathers and hair grow since they're not living? Obviously they carry DNA.. so I'm assuming at some point during their growth they die off and carry the genetic sequence or something?

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atomfullerene t1_ixusr28 wrote

They are both formed by skin cells laying down protein in precise patterns. The dna comes from the living cells at the root of the hair. For feathers, i suspect it similarly comes from cells or the remains of cells at the root and/or pulp of the feather

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