Genetic Lineages Show Birds Evolving From Dinosaurs
Year: 2017
One of the most surprising scientific findings of our time might very well be that birds evolving from dinosaurs. Once considered reptiles, dinos are certainly very different from this. While several have believed birds evolved from dinos, we did not have genetic confirmation until 2017. During this point, Tohoku University researchers isolated a gene sequence they believe was present in dinosaurs before and even during their evolutionary period. They found that flight feathers are one of the biggest innovations in the avian lineage. Birds are related to theropods, which include the T-Rex and Velociraptors. This study helped to sort of prove that those creatures had feathers of their own. Eventually, these species were able to fly as they began to get smaller over millions of years.