It's long been understood that birds are just the descendants of a small group of theropod dinosaurs. For a long time now, scientists have been looking for ways to study and explain the ways that dinosaur physiology transitioned to bird physiology. Recently, some paleontologists have suggested that the easiest way to bring dinosaurs back wouldn't be to find dino DNA in amber and try to clone extinct animals, but instead to genetically manipulate birds to bring out their ancestral forms. Well, now we have proof that it's possible, as scientists have found a way to turn off the expression of certain genes so that chickens develop dinosaur-like snouts instead of beaks.
This is a fascinating development for dinophiles. It's unlikely anyone is going to create any living dinosaurs any time soon, but it demonstrates just how thin the line between dinosaur and bird really is. It reminds us that, when you watch an eagle hunt, you're very likely watching something very similar to what an observer would have seen 70 million years ago watching a Velociraptor hunt. Heck, when you watch a robin picking worms from the ground, you might as well be watching an Oviraptor pecking at the eggs of another species.
Fun stuff. Theme parks and pet dinos are just around the corner...
This is a fascinating development for dinophiles. It's unlikely anyone is going to create any living dinosaurs any time soon, but it demonstrates just how thin the line between dinosaur and bird really is. It reminds us that, when you watch an eagle hunt, you're very likely watching something very similar to what an observer would have seen 70 million years ago watching a Velociraptor hunt. Heck, when you watch a robin picking worms from the ground, you might as well be watching an Oviraptor pecking at the eggs of another species.
Fun stuff. Theme parks and pet dinos are just around the corner...
