Newly Described Bird-like Dinosaur Predates Archaeopteryx by 15-20 Million Years [Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted)]
tags: evolutionary biology, convergent evolution, paleontology, taxonomy, zoology, basal birds, theropods, dinosaurs, ornithology, birds, Alvarezsauroidea, Haplocheirus sollers, Maniraptora, Archaeopteryx, bpr3.org/?p=52,peer-reviewed research, peer-reviewed paper
A Newly Discovered Basal Alvarezsauroid Theropod from the Early Late Jurassic.
Artwork: Portia Sloan [larger view]
DOI: 10.1126/science.1182143
A long-standing scientific debate focuses on the origins of birds: did they evolve from reptiles or dinosaurs? Currently, most scientists think that birds are modern dinosaurs, but because small hollow bones like those of birds and small dinosaurs don't fossilize well, the early fossil record for birds is sparse. However, a new dinosaur species unearthed in China's Gobi Desert strengthens the dinosaur-bird hypothesis and may also provide valuable clues as to how flight evolved.
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