T. Rex is Really a Bird

[Dr. Cheese]

NYT science section has a story about genetic testing done on T. Rex soft tissue that shows it was "more closely related ostriches and chickens that to alligators." It also noted that genetic testing of mastodons proves that they were closely related to modern elephants (no suprise to me.)


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/sc...ml?ref=science

[T-Bird]

Hi.

AFAIK and how it's been taught here, that conclusion is a few decades old. IIRC the bone structure is rather similar also between the modern birds and dinosaurs so the dna tests just "confirms" that.

On the other hand, the closeness is debatable as the genetic structure of all living beings on this planet are really close to eachother.

Regards
Sam

[i_got_a_mohawk]

They've thought that for years.

In my uni we have an original casting (one of only 12) of a species which is like a cross between a feathered bird and a dinosaur. I tried wiki-ing the name, but im probably spelling it wrong. IIRC it's called Archeopterics.

[XtreO]

Mastodons are related to elephants? No wai? O.O I couldn't have guessed. :O

[Higgie]

Yeah, I saw this in the paper today. My mates were like "your joking!?", but for some reason I already knew it. Don't know where I heard it originally though.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Yes - I heard that many years (decades) ago! Walking with Dinosaurs? We do it every day!

The descendants of the Dinosaurs are all around us and thriving!

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

The descendants of the Dinosaurs are all around us and thriving!

No way to talk about your in-laws!

[Bruce Lindfield]

I hear their song and see their feathers flying!

[peterbright]

Jurassic Park

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield

I hear their song and see their feathers flying!

zing !

[Rune Bivrin]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

They've thought that for years.

In my uni we have an original casting (one of only 12) of a species which is like a cross between a feathered bird and a dinosaur. I tried wiki-ing the name, but im probably spelling it wrong. IIRC it's called Archeopterics.

Archaeopteryx - close but no cigar

[XtreO]

Originally Posted by Rune Bivrin

-Archaeopteryx, close but no cigar

Aerodactyl>Archaeopteryx

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by Rune Bivrin

Archaeopteryx - close but no cigar

That'll be the one, been told the name but never seen the spelling before.

One ugly mofo!

[Dr. Cheese]

Guys, I know that paleontologists had noted the structural and apparently behavioral similarities between birds and dinosaurs for years. This report is significant because scientists were able to take soft tissue from a T. Rex fossil and give it a DNA test which confirmed the close relationship. Remember, in nature, animals can often look similar because they fit a similar ecological niche, but actually be unrelated, (think about the Tasmanian Wolf which looked just like a wolf or dog, but was an Australian marsupial) therefore, the genetic tests are powerful conclusive evidence of the relationship that goes beyond similar appearance.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I dare say thats true.

Just something we had started to take for granted because it has been accepted for so long.

Good post Cheese

[eedre]

Think of the crispy chicken sandwich possibilities back then...

[Dr. Cheese]

Another great example of animals that look quite similar but are not related is whales and fish, especially sharks and dolphins. That is why the genetic test was so important for understanding the evolutionary relationship of long extinct creatures to current fauna.

[santucci218]

t rex, a bird? PFFTTTT. Im more closely related to the bird than t rex is.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

You ain't seen the seagulls we get around here then!

[santucci218]

seagulls in scotland? you have a better chance of t rex being a bird.