Re: [DNA news stories: bird and mammal evolution]

[archosaur@usa.net]

bh480@scn.org wrote:
> From: Ben Creisler bh480@scn.org
>
> DNA news stories: bird and mammal evolution
>
> A couple of recent news stories concerning evolution and
> DNA studies fall a bit outside the topic of dinosaurs
> strictly speaking but I think they are worth mentioning:
>
> DNA yields aquatic bird evolution surprise: flamingo and
> grebe are close relatives
> http://www.science.psu.edu/alert/Hedges7-2001.htm
>
> If this research holds up, it points out one of the main
> problems with cladistic analyses based solely
> on "characters" derived from skeletons -- apparent
> similarities or dramatic differences in body structure may
> be misleading in terms of true evolutionary histories. The
> many birdlike theropods or theropod-like birds that have
> been turning up lately provide an obvious case in point.
> Unfortunately without access to ancient DNA, the real
> story may remain unresolved.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Ah yes, but these are the same types of studies that gave us archosaurian
turtles and near archosaurian _Sphenodon_.


Oh if only DNA had a fossil history.

Jura


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