Posted on 01/01/2011 5:28:01 PM PST by decimon
By reconstructing the brains of extinct birds, researchers could shed light on when birds evolved into creatures of flight.
Overwhelming evidence suggests birds evolved from dinosaurs some 150 million years ago, but one of the missing pieces to the evolutionary puzzle is how such birds took to the air.
Scientists in Scotland are focusing on changes in the size of a part of the rear of the brain. This part of the cerebellum, known as the flocculus, is responsible for integrating visual and balance signals during flight, allowing birds to judge the position of other objects in midflight. [3-D Image of Raven Brain]
"We believe we can discover how the flocculus has evolved to deal with different flying abilities, giving us new information about when birds first evolved the power of flight," said project leader Stig Walsh, senior curator of vertebrate palaeobiology at National Museums Scotland.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Ping
And here I thought they found the origins of the Dimocrat party.
There are several fossilized bird brains around here. They get together every morning for breakfast at Hardee’s. I don’t think that they have done any flying for years.
IBTHTP
“Fossilized Bird Brains”
That’s insensitive and sexist! How dare you make fun of Katie Couric, you pig, I mean ..... uh, wait a second, this really is about paleology, isn’t it?
Sorry.........................
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Fossilized bird brains???
Dim sum???
Dangit, beat me to it.
This sentence is a lie, unless they uncovered "overwhelming evidence" in the last day or so. There is absolutely NO evidence birds evolved from Dinos, except for a few fake fossils that were manufactured in China and exposed for the fakes they are. Common sense says that if any Dinos evolved into birds it would be the ones who already could fly, not ground bound raptors.
“Scientists in Scotland are focusing on changes in the size of a part of the rear of the brain. This part of the cerebellum, known as the flocculus, is responsible for integrating visual and balance signals during flight, allowing birds to judge the position of other objects in midflight.”
Am I being farfetched to say THIS is farfetched? Seems rather presumptuous to believe they can be so sure the prehistoric cerebellum was totally understood to the point we can judge their secrets of flight.?
Sorry, I thought this was a thread about the Senate.
OK, I admit it, reading the title my first thought was Joe Biden.
Fossilized Bird Brains ...
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