Evolution of Birds

2009/03/19

By Ms Baker

Photo by Niznoz

Does the theory that birds are modern-day dinosaurs surprise you? Well, check out this website! Not only will it answer many of your questions, but it will give you great practice with cladograms. The exploration is very informative and highly entertaining.

One Response to “Evolution of Birds”

Super Science Fair Projects Says:April 16th, 2009 at 11:54 am The theory that dinosaurs have evolved into modern birds is not as controversial as it once was. I watched a special on the Discovery Channel that showed how scientists are reactivating genes that control the development of dinosaur-like features in bird fetuses. They were able to make the bird’s tails longer and they were able to stimulate the development of teeth. If you are trying to come up with a science fair project idea then look into the latest development in unraveling the connection between birds and dinosaurs.

Alec

I think that this subject is fascinating. It is hard to imagine the ferocious dinosaurs from Jurassic Park with feathers.

The hypothesis that dinosaurs sired birds was first thought possible in 1860 in the swamps of Germany, when Archaeopteryx, possibly the world’s most controversial fossil, was discovered. Its controversy is largely due to the time of its discovery. Archaeopteryx was dug up two years after Darwin’s “The Origin of Species” was published, and as the popularity of Darwin’s book grew, so did Archaeopteryx because it was evidence that Darwin’s theory of evolution by means of natural selection might be true. Bearing wings and feathers as well as many other bird-like traits, it is clear that Archaeopteryx predeceases modern day birds. However, this creature bears many reptilian features found in small dinosaurs, such as long legs, three-toed feel, and an extended spine which forms a tail. Therefore, Archaeopteryx a link between modern day birds and dinosaurs, and since this hypothesis became popular in the 1990′s, many new fossils have been discovered.

The information from this post was found on:

http://pbs.org/lifeofbirds/evolution/index.html
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/03/4/l_034_01.html
http://www.geologyrocks.co.uk/tutorials/origin_and_early_evolution_birds