A fossil of a prehistoric bird from the enantiornithine genus shows feathers on its hind legs—evidence of an extra pair of wings. Courtesy of Xiaoting Zheng et al/Science
Posted on 03/14/2013 6:43:48 PM PDT by Dysart
Roughly 150 million years ago, birds began to evolve. The winged creatures we see in the skies today descended from a group of dinosaurs called theropods, which included tyrannosaurs, during a 54-million-year chunk of time known as the Jurassic period. Why the ability to fly evolved in some species is a difficult question to answer, but scientists agree that wings came to be because they must have been useful: they might have helped land-based animals leap into the air, or helped gliding creatures who flapped their arms produce thrust.
As researchers continue to probe the origin of flight, studies of fossils have shown that theropods–particularly coelurosaurian dinosaurs, which closely resemble modern birds—had large feathers on both their fore limbs and hind limbs. However, extensive evidence for these leg feathers didn’t exist in the earliest birds. But now, a new examination of fossils reported today in the journal Science reveals several examples of this four-winged anatomy in modern birds’ oldest common ancestors.
Modern birds have two types of feathers: vaned feathers that cover the outside of the body, and the down feathers that grow underneath them.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.smithsonianmag.com ...
A fossil of a prehistoric bird from the enantiornithine genus shows feathers on its hind legs—evidence of an extra pair of wings. Courtesy of Xiaoting Zheng et al/Science
Yeah, sure. This from those who jabber about the world being 150 million years old. While science obviously proves otherwise.
NBA players should be developing wings and feathers any day now to help them leap.
Feathered dinosaur to winged dinosaur with feathers on four limbs to birds with feathers on four limbs to birds withfeathers on two limbs.
Add a little brain development in there to provide the processing systems necessary to control two-winged flight and you've got modern birds.
So, why parrots?
Bwahaha...yeah, piece a cake...
Who thinks the world is 150 million years old?
I recommend the author simply read Genesis. Evolution ain’t what our “educated” literates crack it up to be. There are no proven instances of macro evolution. None. Zip.
Nobody.
My point exactly.
Yeah but, how many ‘scientists’ believe the earth is only about 4 to 5 thousand years old at most?
Indeed. Those “science” bozos are just pulling it out of their butts.
I am unaware of any credible person that subscribes to such nonsense.
From "Darwin's Ghost" by Steve Jones, we have (based on Moon rocks picked up on the Apollo XI mission) that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old.
My thought precisely.
I’m in agreement with that. My point was to the original poster stating 150 million. No one thinks that.
His ability to produce the signal that conveys that information is the part that tells her if he's capable of helping feed the chicks.
BTW, all the parrots of the same species have just about the same genes ~ maybe a few differences here and there with methylation ~ but same same!
My concern with parrots is they have more advanced brains ~ and yet they don't do very much different from other birds ~ in fact, my son prove that you can call a parrot down from a tree to sit on your shoulder just as you might a crow or a duck. Surprised his girlfriend I'll tell you that, but not me ~ or our other relatives.
Seriously, being a bird is not a mentally challenging occupation
You dont think the female Parrot or Mockingbird chooses the best possible mate conveyed by superior songs, and some other display behavior among her suitors of the same species? Surely not.
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