  For decades, gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been broadly divided into `long'-
and `short'-duration bursts, lasting more or less than 2s, respectively.
However, this dichotomy does not map perfectly to the two progenitor channels
that are known to produce GRBs -- the merger of compact objects (merger-GRBs)
or the collapse of massive stars (collapsar-GRBs). In particular, the
merger-GRBs population may also include bursts with a short, hard $\lesssim$2s
spike and subsequent longer, softer extended emission (EE). The recent
discovery of a kilonova -- the radioactive glow of heavy elements made in
neutron star mergers -- in the 50s-duration GRB 211211A further demonstrates
that mergers can drive long, complex GRBs that mimic the collapsar population.
Here we present a detailed temporal and spectral analysis of the high-energy
emission of GRB 211211A. We demonstrate that the emission has a purely
synchrotron origin, with both the peak and cooling frequencies moving through
the $\gamma$-ray band down to the X-rays, and that the rapidly-evolving
spectrum drives the EE signature at late times. The identification of such
spectral evolution in a merger-GRB opens avenues for diagnostics of the
progenitor type.
