Living dinosaurs

abc.net.au ^ | 9/30/2002

[SteveH]

News in Science

News in Science 30/9/2002 Living dinosaurs

[This is the print version of story http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s687677.htm]

	Model of Sinosauropteryx sprima (pronounced 'sine-oh-saw-op-te-rix pree-ma')made by Alan Groves working with palaeontologists Drs Walter Boles and Sue Hand.

If we are to believe the message of a new exhibit demonstrating the evolutionary transition from dinosaurs to birds, dinosaurs are not extinct.

Four life-sized reconstructions of ferocious-looking, smart-thinking, flesh-eating feathered dinosaurs – representing 125 million-year-old missing links between dinosaurs and birds – have landed at the Australian Museum in Sydney as part of the Chinese Dinosaurs exhibition.

"The birds we see flying around our backyards are actually living dinosaurs, descendants of prehistoric beasts we all once presumed became extinct 65 million years ago," said museum director, Professor Mike Archer.

"But feathers were evolving as dinosaur attributes long before they became valuable as flight structures," he said.

"Indeed fossils uncovered in the Liaoning Province of China have provided a whole sequence of missing links in the dinosaur to bird story."

Model of Sinornithosaurus smillenii (pronounced 'sine-or-nith-oh-saw-rus mill-en-ee-eye) made by Alan Groves working with palaeontologists Drs Walter Boles and Sue Hand.
 

One of the earlier links is Sinosauropteryx prima. The creature is covered with what looks to be a fine fuzz but are really small barbs – a link between scales and feathers.

"It's a metre-long, meat-eating, ground-dwelling predator, closely related to the dinosaur in Jurassic Park II which ate the little girl on the beach," said Professor Archer.

He speculated these very early feathers were probably for insulation since this group was almost certainly warm blooded.

The Sinornithosaurus millenii (top picture) embodies a later link.

"This is a very vicious little predator about a metre long. But here the feathers are much larger – although they're not fully formed or capable of flight," said Professor Archer.

An interesting characteristic of the creature was its capacity to lift its arms over its head in a flapping motion. Professor Archer said scientists assumed its array of feathers had a purpose – to frighten predators, help capture prey, attract mates or threaten male competitors.

The next stage – the development of feathers for flight – is seen in creatures like the Archseopteryx, a smaller animal than Sinornithosaurus millenii with longer and assymetrical feathers.

While there has been some debate as to whether dinosaurs (unlike other groups of reptiles) are the ancestors of birds, Professor Archer believes since 1996 there has been no strong argument against the hypothesis.

"I don't know anyone who is still holding out on this one," he said. "Other than the creationists of course who don't want anything to be ancestral to birds."

Chinese Dinosaurs is open until February next year. The dino-bird exhibit is sponsored by The Australian Skeptics.

Anna Salleh - ABC Science Online

More Info?

British Natural History Museum Dino-Birds Exhibition

Missing link from fur to feathers – News in Science 27/4/2001

Dinosaur fossil with proto-feathers – News in Science 8/3/2001

Dinosaur-bird theory defended – News in Science 24/11/2000

© ABC 2002 | privacy

[f.Christian]

Rube whack Goldberg!

[f.Christian]

The Mentality of Evolution

"There seems to be a cart before the horse attitude i.e. evolution has occurred, that's a fact ( it is never stated who proved this fact ), therefore we just need to twist the evidence until it fits our pre-conceptions. Of course, science is supposed to look at the evidence, and then derive the theory, but as Karl Popper admitted, the theory of evolution has never been a scientific theory due to its lack of testability, so normal scientific standards do not and have never applied to the theory of evolution. It has always been an emotional issue and not a scientific one - on all sides it must be stated in fairness. The main difference is that the worshippers of mechanistic reductionist Newtonian materialism try to pretend they are objective, when in reality most of them are not."

[Aracelis]

Thank you for the ping, Patrick! :-)

[f.Christian]

Originally the word liberal meant social conservatives(no govt religion--none) who advocated growth and progress---mostly technological(knowledge being absolute/unchanging)based on law--reality... UNDER GOD--

knowledge being absolute/unchanging--personal as opposed to public...forced/repressed---POLITICAL!

Religous/faith liberty is gone...thanks to evolution/liberals(stealth religion/science)!

[Aracelis]

What a pleasure to hear from you, f.Christian. I would like to express my sincere condolances about your friend. I know she meant a lot to many people. Very sorry.

[PatrickHenry]

[f.Christian]

Twenty second truce...THANKS!

Truce over----

To: f.Christian

Now I follow, thank you. Actually, I don't disagree with this at all since I see the left as abandoning the uncertianty of democracy and majority rule for the assurance technocracy and expert rule.

152 posted on 9/10/02 12:17 PM Pacific by Liberal Classic

[f.Christian]

Main Entry: con·de·scen·sion
Pronunciation: "kän-di-'sen(t)-sh&n
Function: noun
Etymology: Late Latin condescension-, condescensio, from condescendere
Date: 1647
1 : voluntary descent from one's rank or dignity in relations with an inferior
2 : patronizing attitude or behavior

[AndrewC]

STUPID-FOOL

Sycophant Tactlessly Ululating Philosophies Inanely Darwinian-Following Orwellian Origins Lies

[Gumlegs]

Sir!

Rube Goldberg was a cartoonist who never harmed anyone! Your Rube whack Goldberg! post is entirely uncalled for!

[VadeRetro]

You mean "Fool in Aloha Toga."

[f.Christian]

By vaperetro...creationist are---"ape ancestry rejectivism"!

[f.Christian]

Rube normal Goldberg vs Rube whack Goldberg!

[Gumlegs]

Oh, that's different.

... I think.

[The Wizard]

I thought this was about Bryd

[f.Christian]

Tell me about the geologic column...

pre--post cambrian---

---the evolution of darwin materialist/atheism psuedoscience---SUPER-state-religion!!

[Gumlegs]

geologic column...

asparagus ...

incoherence/you?

stuff on stuff

under stuff

Puffinstuff

It's not an art, it's a Krofft.

Cornsilk bluejeans (disc, not 8-track) ... toe jam.

[AndrewC]

Cornsilk bluejeans (disc, not 8-track) ... toe jam.

(Shoot me)
(Shoot me)
(Shoot me)
(Shoot me)

HERE COME OLD FLAT TOP,
HE COME GROWING UP SLOWLY,
HE GOT JO JO EYEBALL,
HE ONE HOLY ROLLER,
HE GOT HAIR DOWN TO HIS KNEE.
GOT TO BE A JOKER, HE JUST DO WHAT HE PLEASE.

(Shoot me)
(Shoot me)
(Shoot me)
(Shoot me)

HE WEAR NO SHOESHINE,
HE GOT TOE JAM FOOTBALL,
HE GOT MONKEY FINGER,
HE SHOOT COCA COLA,
HE SAY, "I KNOW YOU, YOU KNOW ME.
ONE THING I CAN TELL YOU IS YOU GOT TO BE FREE."

COME TOGETHER,
RIGHT NOW,
OVER ME.

(Shoot me)
(Shoot me)
(Shoot me)

HE BAG PRODUCTION,
HE GOT WALRUS GUMBOOT,
HE GOT ONO SIDEBOARD,
HE ONE SPINAL CRACKER,
HE GOT FEET DOWN BELOW HIS KNEE.
HOLD YOU IN HIS ARMCHAIR, YOU CAN FEEL HIS DISEASE.

COME TOGETHER,
RIGHT NOW,
OVER ME.

(Shoot me)

RIGHT!

HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-
HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH.
COME, OH, COME, COME, COME.

(Look out, now!)

HE ROLLER COASTER,
HE GOT EARLY WARNING,
HE GOT MUDDY WATER,
HE ONE MOJO FILTER,
HE SAY, "ONE AND ONE AND ONE IS THREE."
GOT TO BE GOOD LOOKING 'CAUSE HE'S SO HARD TO SEE.

COME TOGETHER,
RIGHT NOW,
OVER ME.

(Shoot me)
(Shoot me)
(Shoot me)

OH!

COME TOGETHER, YEAH,
COME TOGETHER, YEAH,
COME TOGETHER, YEAH,
COME TOGETHER, YEAH,
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COME TOGETHER, YEAH,
COME TOGETHER, YEAH.

OH -

COME TOGETHER, YEAH,
COME TOGETHER, YEAH.

© Northern Songs Ltd

It seems to fit.

[f.Christian]

I use p*** off parties for... lighter---fluid!

[SteveH]

I thought this was about Bryd

You mean