showing birds as 'living dinosaurs'
Over the years, Yale researchers have played an instrumental role in advancing the idea that today's birds are "living dinosaurs."
The Peabody Museum of Natural History's new exhibition, "Hatching the Past: Dinosaur Eggs, Nests & Young," showcases some of the evidence that has led scientists from Yale and beyond to conclude there is an evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds. (See related story.)
In 1880, Charles Darwin credited O.C. Marsh -- Yale's first professor of paleontology -- with furthering research on "toothed birds" (dinosaurs) that provided "the best support" for his theory of evolution. In 1964, Yale paleontologist John Ostrom discovered in Montana the first bones of the animal he later named Deinonychus antirrhopus -- a small but agile meat-eating dinosaur with grabbing hands. In research conducted over the next decades, Ostrom discovered morphological similarities between the skeletons of Deinonychus and Archaeopteryx -- identified as the first bird. Over time, even scientists who were initially dubious about a link between dinosaurs and birds have come to embrace Ostrom's theory.
Research conducted by Jacques Gauthier, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Peabody, has helped to verify Ostrom's hypothesis. Gauthier created the name "Maniraptora" for the group of small, meat-eating dinosaurs that Ostrom believed included the ancestor of birds. Also professor of geology and geophysics and of ecology and evolutionary biology, Gauthier studied the skeletal growth and the anatomy and function of the openings in the bones of Archaeopteryx, and, together with Yale biology professor Gunter Wagner, has studied the developmental biology of the hands in birds and crocodilians and its implications for the grabbing, three-fingered hand of maniraptoran dinosaurs. The results of all his studies strongly support the idea that birds are living maniraptoran dinosaurs.
Based on his research on land egg-laying vertebrates, Gauthier hypothesizes that among living reptiles, crocodilians are the nearest relatives to birds. However, he maintains, extinct dinosaurs are even more closely related to birds.
Gauthier also speculates that dinosaurs cared for their young in much the same way as birds and crocodiles.
"Because living crocodilians and birds defend their young, it seems reasonable to assume that their common reptilian ancestor did likewise," he says. "We can test that hypothesis against the fossil record, which has now produced enough extinct dinosaurs, such as oviraptors fossilized brooding their eggs, to substantiate that idea."
T H I S
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Hair dye use may boost risk of cancer
Yale physician who helped Iranian earthquake relief efforts . . .
New Kahn chair to bring young architects to Yale
'Hatching the Past' explores dino-bird link
Exhibit underscores Yale research showing birds as 'living dinosaurs'
Japanese chess champion balances strategizing and study
Exhibit explores experiences of black soldiers in the Civil War
Campus celebration of Black History Month features an array of events
Scientists discover how mosquitoes smell their human prey
Studies shed light on struggle to quit smokingBipolar disorder linked to decrease in brain structure governing emotions
Study: Post-traumatic stress disorder . . .
Heavy rainfall not only wears down mountains . . .
Drama School to stage contemporary Irish comedy
Leading art critics featured in new discussion series
Search committee named for Yale College Dean
New SOM advisory board will discuss the school's mission and goals
Yale neurologist honored for contributions to epilepsy research
Campus Notes
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News
Bulletin Board|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home