Study Officially Traces Dinosaur Evolution Into Early Birds - Polidicks

[url=http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/study-traces-dinosaur-evolution-early-birds-24792643]Source[/url] [quote]Scientists have mapped how a group of fearsome, massive dinosaurs evolved and shrank to the likes of robins and hummingbirds. Comparing fossils of 120 different species and 1,500 skeletal features, especially thigh bones, researchers constructed a detailed family tree for the class of two-legged meat-eaters called theropods. That suborder of dinos survives to this day as birds, however unrecognizable and improbable it sounds. The steady downsizing and elegant evolution of the theropods is detailed in the journal Science on Thursday. "They just kept on shrinking and shrinking and shrinking for about 50 million years," said study author Michael S. Y. Lee of the University of Adelaide in Australia. He called them "shape-shifters." Lee and colleagues created a dinosaur version of the iconic ape-to-man drawing of human evolution. In this version, the lumbering large dinos shrink, getting more feathery and big-chested, until they are the earliest version of birds. For a couple decades scientists have linked birds to this family of dinosaurs because they shared hollow bones, wishbones, feathers and other characteristics. But the Lee study gives the best picture of how steady and unusual theropod evolution was. The skeletons of theropods changed four times faster than other types of dinosaurs, the study said. A few members of that dino family did not shrink, including T. rex, which is more of a distant cousin to birds than a direct ancestor, Lee said. He said he and colleagues were surprised by just how consistently the theropods shrank over evolutionary time, while other types of dinosaurs showed ups and downs in body size. The first theropods were large, weighing around 600 pounds. They roamed about 220 million to 230 million years ago. Then about 200 million years ago, when some of the creatures weighed about 360 pounds, the shrinking became faster and more prolonged, the study said. In just 25 million years, the beasts were slimmed down to barely 100 pounds. By 167 million years ago, 6-pound paravians, more direct ancestor of birds, were around. And 163 million years ago the first birds, weighing less than two pounds, probably came on the scene, the study said[/quote]

I found a movie about this research. It shows the chronology of the different adaptations. [video=youtube;9YIfwfqXqf8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YIfwfqXqf8[/video]

Basically: We've always hypothesized that dinosaurs became avians, but we were going off of fairly basic proof. Now this basically sets it in stone, no pun intended.

Finally, I can say with confidence that I'm having dinosaur for dinner! [editline]1st August 2014[/editline] KFD: Kentucky Fried Dinosaur

[QUOTE=Headhumpy;45562390]Finally, I can say with confidence that I'm having dinosaur for dinner! [editline]1st August 2014[/editline] KFD: Kentucky Fried Dinosaur[/QUOTE] Dinosaurs used to eat us mammals, oh how the tables have turned

This is massively dissapointing. T-Rex turned into a fucking chicken.

I had KFC today, take that dinosaurs.

[QUOTE=Vasili;45562561]I had KFC today, take that dinosaurs.[/QUOTE] Oh yeah? Well every Wensday is when I both eat Popeyes AND buy gas for the family car! SUCK IT TREX!

Shit man, maybe dragons are/were real, but they were furries! :O

[QUOTE=whatthe;45562590]Shit man, maybe dragons are/were real, but they were furries! :O[/QUOTE] dragons were real, they were pterosaurs

[QUOTE=mn_chaos;45562856]dragons were real, they were pterosaurs[/QUOTE] Speaking of pterodactyls, are they still featherless abominations or do they look like birds now?

Pterosaurs are basically flying icthyosaurs. That may sound terrifying but it isnt btw. They were odd lizard like reptiles that are even more adapted to flying than today's birds, so much so that it was nigh impossible for them to traverse themselves on land. They didnt use feathers, but instead utilized massive plastic like membranes that stretched from their elongated finger and traversed their body. Sometimes these membranes acted as extensions of their own lungs as well. Pterosaurs predate birds and birdlike theropods by an incredible amount of time, and because of it barely anything is known about how the hell they even evolved, even though their resemblence to protosaurs are well documented. Also there is no such thing as a 'pterodactyl' as portrayed by the media, its a conglomerate of several different pterosaurs made to look really intimidating and dinosaur-like. Its name comes from the first pterosaur 'genus' to be discovered, and it was a dinky measly little thing (the actualy pterodactyl that is). This is what an average pterosaur would have looked like in reality: [t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/AnurognathusDB.jpg/1280px-AnurognathusDB.jpg[/t] [editline]1st August 2014[/editline] Also some of them had tail remenants as well: [t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Rhamph_DB.jpg[/t]

[QUOTE=mn_chaos;45563767]Also there is no such thing as a pterodactyl, its a conglomerate of several different pterosaurs made to look really intimidating and dinosaur-like.[/QUOTE] The fossils of them would like to have a word with you.

I was talking about the media representation of of pterosaurs. Of course the pterodactyl exists, but it looks nothing like what the imagination would like it to. [editline]1st August 2014[/editline] I probably wasn't clear enough the way I worded it =/

Nice to see such a wonderful idea being validated. Ever since I was young, I looked at birds and thought about them as [I]practically[/I] dinosaurs. Except for penguins. Those things be evolutionary revolutionaries.

The early dinosaur catches the worm just doesn't have the right ring to it.

This explains the long dinosaur poop in the other thread. If you spend all day eating worms imagine how long your poop would be.

[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;45565031]This explains the long dinosaur poop in the other thread. If you spend all day eating worms imagine how long your poop would be.[/QUOTE] It's not old enough to belong to a dinosaur after dating.

[QUOTE=Trebgarta;45566029]"But there is no proof of evolution"[/QUOTE] Creationists are funny for a variety of reasons.

[QUOTE=Trebgarta;45566029]"But there is no proof of evolution"[/QUOTE] You know what else there's no proof of?

[QUOTE=Squeegy Mackoy;45571207]You know what else there's no proof of?[/QUOTE] I'm getting flashbacks of the Bill Nye/Ken Ham debate. "But Bill, there is a book."