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Earliest Bird Had Feet Like Dinosaur

Posted by Zonk on from the there-should-be-a-dinosaur-topic dept.

aychamo writes "A 150-million-year-old fossil of Archaeopteryx, the earliest known bird, may put to rest any scientific doubt that theropods gave rise to modern birds. From the article: '[A new fossil] presents important new details of the skull morphology [shape and function] of the earliest known bird, showing also that the skull of Archaeopteryx is much more similar to that of nonavian theropod dinosaurs than previously thought.' In the new fossil, the foot looks more like that of the four-toed foot of Velociraptor and its other nonwinged theropod relatives. The specimen also clearly lacks a reversed toe. Because Archaeopteryx lacked this stabilizing toe, it almost certainly did not habitually perch in trees. This leads scientists to believe that it was a land based predator."

3 of 321 comments (clear)

  1. ID by ajdlinux · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    As an intelligent-design believing Creationist Christian, I don't think this proves anything. This plugs one hole in the fossil record. There are still hundreds/thousands left. Also, I disagree that it puts to rest *all* scientific doubt about this species. I'll be flamed for this, but intelligent design is rapidly growing as an accepted scientific theory for the creation of the world. I still haven't seen any evidence that birds could have evolved like this. Why? Because since when are mutations good? It's impossible to have a good mutation *specifically* where and when you need it.

    1. Re:ID by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

      Spoken like someone who has

      1) Extremely limited knowledge of the theory of evolution, or scientific theories in general.
      2) Extremely limited knowledge of probability theory (where you wrote "impossible", its actually more like "certain" over the amount of time involved; check the math).
      3) Little to no common sense, and/or rational thinking capacity.
      4) All of the above.

  2. Re:Curiosity about our world - perhaps a wee bit O by nagora · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    That said, why is it that the ID people's approach to science remind me of Dr. Zaius in Planet of the Apes?

    I wasn't aware that ID people had approached science. Presumably they were turned down.

    TWW

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