RationalWiki:EvoWiki/Archaeopteryx was probably not an ancestor of modern birds

Response #3, may be inaccurate, or a gross generalization/simplifcation. In fact I'm almost entirely sure of it. It currently reads:


 * Scientists have actually discovered that the same protein (when missing at birth) that keeps bird feet webbed causes reptile scales to become feathers.

But from trying to research this claim for the evidence that supports it I can't find anything. I even started a question over at skeptics.stackexcahnge.com to see if there is anything to this and similar claims (to which I was the only one providing an answer with some research papers I found, though none of them support this response in question). Specifically concerning to me about the above response is it's similarity to the following (only real difference is the bold/italicized use of bird instead of reptile):


 * Experiments show that the same protein (when missing before birth) that causes bird feet to stay webbed, causes bird scutes and scales to become feathers (Poling 1996) - New World Encylcopedia.