Link between birds and dinosaurs 'proved'

[Jack Kolb <kolb@ucla.edu>]

http://www.ananova.com/yournews/story/sm_563222.html

Link between birds and dinosaurs 'proved'

Claims of a link which will prove how modern birds are descended from small 
feathered dinosaurs has been unveiled in Edinburgh.

A variety of feathered dinosaurs have been discovered at a site in 
north-east China and the beasts have been trapped in volcanic rock, 
allowing their outer covering to be preserved.

The remains of the bipedal dinosaurs, coming from the group known as 
raptors, showed the creatures could not fly but were covered in feathers.

Dr Angela Milner from the Natural History Museum in London said further 
research on the 125 million-year-old remains had conclusively proved a link.

She was speaking during a discussion on techniques for reconstructing what 
dinosaurs might have looked like during the University of Edinburgh Science 
Festival.

Most experts believe all birds can be traced back to dinosaurs which 
existed 125 million years ago, following a breakthrough discovery in China.

She said: "The fact that we found this really is the last piece of evidence 
needed to substantiate that one particular group of meat-eating dinosaurs 
were the ones that gave rise to birds. There is a lot of anatomical 
evidence that suggests they are related and also what we now know about 
their nesting and mating patterns suggests this."

"This was a very fine level of preservation. The creatures died very 
quickly after being covered in volcanic rock and their bodies were 
preserved in a similar way to what happened (to human volcano victims) in 
Pompeii."

Dr Milner added: "The dinosaurs were covered in feathers but did not have 
flight capabilities, so that gives us a clue that feathers did not 
necessarily develop for flight, but possibly for insulation, especially as 
a way for keeping some of the young warm.

The relics, which date back to the early cretaceous period, were discovered 
in the Liaoning province of China in 1996 and will be brought to the UK for 
exhibition at the Natural History Museum in July.