Birds To Dinosaur: November 2015

Genetic Evidence Confirms that T. Rex and Velociraptor were NOT ancestor to Modern Birds

Were T. Rex and Velociraptor toothless?
This genetic study confirms those creatures were NOT the ancestor of modern birds.

Was T. Rex toothless?

". . . A new study suggests that the common ancestor of all living birds lost the ability to produce teeth, and the answer to exactly how this happened can be found in modern-day birds' genes.
For the study, the researchers examined the genomes of 48 living bird species, taking a close look at six genes associated with tooth formation.
What did they find? It turns out that all of the bird species share genetic mutations that inactivate genes involved in the formation of both tooth enamel and the portion of the tooth called dentin.
Based on the mutations, the researchers think that a common ancestor of the birds lost the enamel caps on its teeth around 116 million years ago. And around that same time, birds' beaks came into play.
“We propose that this progression ultimately resulted in a complete horny beak that effectively replaced the teeth and may have contributed to the diversification of living birds," study co-author Dr. Mark Springer, a biology professor at the University of California, Riverside, said in a written statement.
(Source: Birds Lost Teeth 116 Million Years Ago)

This event took place, 116 Million Years Ago?

Interesting. Especially since Velociraptor and T. Rex lived long after 116 Million Years ago.

Perhaps Velociraptor was this toothless ancestor?!

Oh *Snap!* no, Velociraptor wasn't toothless either.

So obviously, based upon the conclusions of the study, these creatures are not the ancestor of birds. And since we know true birds existed 165 Million years ago in the Jurassic, namely Archaeopteryx who was a toothed bird followed by many other species of toothed birds, it can be concluded an actual bird gave rise to modern birds and not Cretaceous theropod dinosaurs.

So like yeah . . . any way . . . that sort of closes the case of whether or not T. Rex "evolved into chickens".

Subject: Re: Genetic Evidence at last (Bird vs. Cretaceous Theropod Dinosaur)
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2015 21:25:30 +0000
From: Feduccia, John A

But---almost all the enantiornithines, dominant landbirds of the Mesozoic, were fully toothed, as well as the late Cretaceous ornithurines, the hesperornithids and ichthyornitds.

Great information, thanks!
Do you have alternative views as to what may have caused modern beaks to evolve the loss of teeth as they have?

Certainly, there's no doubt that such early toothed bird species should co-exist along with birds who evolved modern (toothlessness /loss of enamel/dentin in their) beaks/bills, i.e., such as Ichthyornis (135-70 mya ... like all the many ancient relatives of birds who were not direct common ancestors they went too went extinct (from the time frame you mention, Mesozoic [252-66 million years ago]).
The researchers set the approximate date for the emergence of the common ancestor who evolved genes for "toothlessness" to around 116 million years ago. That's drawing close toward the end of the Mesozoic, approximately Middle Cretaceous.
Naturally, toothed birds should continue to co-exist in the same time frame but eventually became extinct. Some have suggested that this adaptation (loss of teeth, or at least the loss of dentin / enamel) better suited birds to their food supply, i.e., capturing small minnows or consumption of berries. Interestingly, many birds retain some traits which clearly indicate they still possess genes to produce "pseudo-teeth" of sorts...the loss wasn't complete. Last night I was looking at photos of birds and the Canadian Goose' "Pseudo-teeth" are intimidating and look like teeth... I've read that some of the adaptations are more effective than teeth for grasping and holding on to prey / gathering food.
Brush Your Beak: 10 Amazing Birds With Teeth

The research sets out to identify the common ancestor to all modern birds and links them via the genes that lead to loss of dentin / toothlessness.

Along with what you've stated -- those species are ruled out as the common ancestor but most importantly, if what the genetic research concluded is true, it simultaneously rules out T. Rex, Velociraptor and other toothed theropod dinosaurs as potential candidates for the common ancestor to all modern birds.

Subject: RE: Genetic Evidence at last (Bird vs. Cretaceous Theropod Dinosaur)
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2015 00:42:53 +0000
From: Feduccia, John A

Hi, here is a paper of possible interest. Best wishes, alan

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Interesting Related Links

A Marine Shorebird (Archosaurian Descendant) that behaved like some lizards who ran over water to escape predation.
Hollow bones helped high-flying reptiles stay aloft
"...Similar design features exist in modern birds, which evolved them independently, say the scientists."
Swimming led to flying physicists say
"...Fruit flies 'swim' through air, using the same physics as fish, study shows
Fruit flies and other flyers also use drag to "swim" through the air, the scientists say. Their discovery lends support to the evolutionary theory that flight in insects emerged from swimming.

Flying snakes... flying squirrels... flying reptiles and flying birds?

Early bird makes a splash
"...although many people think of ducks, geese and other waterfowl as specialized animals, they are quite primitive in comparison to highly evolved species such as songbirds... almost every bird group alive today has representatives that live in or around water, Chiappe says, suggesting that a watery lifestyle may be an ancient tradition that has persisted in many lineages... Chiappe admits that the aquatic-origins theory could be cast into doubt if somebody finds a fossilized land bird of the same vintage as Gansus.
Bird-from-dinosaur theory of evolution challenged: Was it the other way around?
"...A new study provides yet more evidence that birds did not descend from ground-dwelling theropod dinosaurs, experts say, and continues to challenge decades of accepted theories about the evolution of flight."

Look at these wonderful visceral arches hinting at the aquatic ancestry for birds!

Bright Red Feathers on T. Rex?!

Ancient origins and multiple appearances of carotenoid-pigmented feathers in birds
"...The broad palette of feather colours displayed by birds serves diverse biological functions, including communication and camouflage. Fossil feathers provide evidence that some avian colours, like black and brown melanins, have existed for at least 160 million years (Myr), but no traces of bright carotenoid pigments in ancient feathers have been reported."
Leading Ornithologist, "Arguments for ancient bird feather color 'Pure Mythology'"
Synchrotron-based chemical imaging reveals plumage patterns in a 150 million year old early bird
"...Studies on the elucidation of colour in fossil feathers have suggested that the presence of melanosomes within fossil feathers may be used to tentatively reconstruct feather colours by tracking variations in melanosome shape. [...] This structural approach has some shortcomings, primarily that there is known diversity in melanin granule morphology among different species, and melanosome preservation may not be uniform. Therefore, serious questions may be raised about colour interpretation based solely on fossilised melanosome morphology and distribution. Additionally, these studies did not account for other known contributors to colour in feathers, such as the possible presence of other pigments (e.g. carotenoids) or other physical structures."
Winter cardinals don their brightest red feathers
"...Cardinals get the pigments responsible for red feathers from their food. Cardinals, tanagers and goldfinches can't synthesize carotenoids - the pigments responsible for red, orange and yellow feathers. If the birds don't eat enough carotenoid-rich fruits and insects, feathers that grow in during the next molt will be less colorful. Dogwood, rose and Japanese honeysuckle berries are locally abundant sources of carotenoid pigments."

"Frugivore Raptor" and "Vegan Rex" may have confidence in the Dinosaur-Bird myth but any person with a reasonably adequate understanding of the fossil record and how legitimate paleontology functions, can not.
Disciples of Dino-Bird Mythology may choose to believe T. Rex was a conscientious "vegetarian which dined upon an abundant supply of berries."
However, they are not alone. One other well-known group of people who make claim T. Rex was a Vegetarian: CREATIONISTS. They too claim there were no carnivorous diets (death) "before the fall".
And that's all I can say of such silly mythology vs. legitimate science!

Molecular evidence for the origin of birds (backup)
Dynamic evolution of the alpha (α) and beta (β) keratins has accompanied integument diversification and the adaptation of birds into novel lifestyles
Exploring the biofluiddynamics of swimming and flight
Researchers Compare Chicken, Human Genomes: Analysis Of First Avian Genome Uncovers Differences Between Birds And Mammals (click) and (click)
Brush Your Beak: 10 Amazing Birds With Teeth
Do birds have teeth? Ask any biologist and the answer will be “absolutely not!”, but “absolute” is a relative term and when one stretches the definitions of what makes a bird or a tooth, birds with teeth aren’t absolutely impossible anymore.

For the Anti-Creationism Darwinist Among Us

My Other Blog:
Genesis in the Ancient World
"The Jews integrated into Greek culture around 300 BC. Notably, much of the modern Biblical literature is actually Greek. Enlightened Greek thought becomes apparent in the opening of Genesis. "One of the first evolutionary theories was proposed by Thales of Miletus (640–546 BC) in the province of Ionia on the coast near Greece followed by Anaximander (550 B.C.) who speculated that life evolved from the water; lower forms of life, in a very primitive precursor to evolutionary theory."

Namely this *ouch!*

Evolution and Paleontology in the Ancient World
"...For Anaximander, the world had arisen from an undifferentiated, indeterminate substance, the apeiron. The Earth, which had coalesced out of the apeiron, had been covered in water at one stage, with plants and animals arising from mud. Humans were not present at the earliest stages; they arose from fish. This poem was quite influential on later thinkers, including Aristotle.
Had Anaximander looked at fossils? Did he study comparative fish and human anatomy? Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing what evidence Anaximander used to support his ideas. His theory bears some resemblance to evolutionary theory, but also seems to have been derived from various Greek myths, such as the story of Deucalion and Pyrrha, in which peoples or tribes are born from the Earth or from stones. His concept of the apeiron seems similar to the Tao of Chinese philosophy and religion, and to the "formless and void" Earth of the Hebrew creation account and other creation myths. However, even though Anaximander's ideas drew on the religious and mythical ideas of his time, he was still one of the first to attempt an explanation of the origin and evolution of the cosmos based on natural laws."
(Source, ucmp.berkeley.edu History)

[Sadly, what the site fails to mention is that the oldest known biblical manuscripts date no earlier than around 300 B.C., therefore, Anaximander (610-545 B.C.) could not have based any of his concepts on Biblical Hebrew. However it can be deduced, the Hebrew Genesis account was borrowed from mainstream Greek philosophy.] [The analysis by Harvard and several other University sources are quite impressive: (Scala Naturae of the Bible, Charles Darwin and Ancient Greek Philosophy)]

Genetic similarity between chicken and t. rex: 58% (click)
Genetic similarity between human and chicken: 60-75% (click)
Genetic similarity between chicken and crocodilians 61.7% (click)
NOW who's your daddy?!

In Memoriam

Sorry T. Rex. You did not evolve into chickens. You went extinct like 99% of the species on this planet who ever lived and, your similarities with birds were due to a shared Archosaurian ancestor or, merely a result of convergent evolution.
(And here is the genetic evidence.)

"Superficially bird-like dinosaurs occurred some 25 million to 80 million years after the earliest known bird, which is 150 million years old.” See (here).

..."denying the fossil record" isn't for just Creationists anymore! ...