Premium Only Content

Surprising New Study Disproves Mainstream Theory About Dinosaur Origins And Evolution
For 130 years, dinosaurs have been classified as either bird - or reptile-hipped -- the first and all-important split in the trunk of an intricate family tree. However, a "revolutionary" study threatens to upend what has long been taken as gospel by preschoolers and paleontologists alike -- that a dinosaur's evolutionary history can be determined by the shape of its pelvis. "Our study overturns 130 years of dogma," said study co-author Paul Barrett of the Natural History Museum.
"Our analysis suggests that animals like T. rex were actually more closely related to Stegosaurus" -- dinos once thought to be firmly on either side of the hip divide.
A new dinosaur evolutionary tree, published in the journal Nature, proposes two new base groups, in which bird- and reptile-hipped lizards are now mixed.
It also suggests that dinosaurs arose around 247 million years ago -- some 10 million years earlier than thought -- and in the northern hemisphere rather than the south.
Barrett and a team examined a large sample of features of very early dinosaurs to learn more about the original, common ancestor and its first offshoots.
The first dinosaur, they concluded, was likely a small omnivore that walked on its hind legs and had grasping hands. These aspects have been the subject of much scientific debate.
But the most controversial finding concerns what happened next.
Dinosaurs split into two main groups, but quite unlike those assumed until now, said the team.
Birds find a home-
Since the Victorian era, dinosaurs have been split into two categories: The bird-hipped (Ornithischia) and reptile-hipped (Saurischia).
The Saurischia group was sub-divided into bipedal carnivores called theropods, which included the likes of Tyrannosaurus Rex and Velociraptor, and the massive, long-necked sauropods such as Brontosaurus.
But under the new classification, bird-hipped dinos such as the three-horned Triceratops and armored Stegosaurus no longer comprise one of the two basal categories.
Instead, they are sub-divided into a completely new category, called Ornithoscelida, along with theropods which were removed from under the reptile-hipped Saurischia.
"We have... pulled Theropods out, but the old Saurischia limps on," as one of the two foundational categories, the study's lead author Matthew Baron from the University of Cambridge told AFP.
The new Ornithoscelida category, he proposed, can be described as "bird-limbed". Its members share common hind-limb as well as skull features.
"We propose that the dinosaur family tree actually looks very different from the version that has been accepted by scientists for the last 130 years," said Baron.
For the first time, the ancestors of modern birds, reptile-hipped theropods, are grouped with bird-hipped dinosaurs into a single category.
If the conclusions are correct, said Baron's colleague David Norman, "All the major textbooks covering the topic of the evolution of the vertebrates will need to be re-written."
In a comment on the study, also published by Nature, Kevin Padian of the University of California described its conclusions as "revolutionary".
"It will be interesting to see how paleontologists receive this original and provocative reassessment of dinosaur origins and relationships," he wrote.
Baron said he looked forward to the debate.
"We expect people in our field to test and retest our hypothesis and seek out new specimens and new data that may prove or disprove what we are proposing," he said by email.
"This is by no means the last word on the subject."
Music: Root Chakra Planet by Dhruva Aliman
Amazon - https://amzn.to/3ex2DEb
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/dhruva-aliman/363563637
https://dhruvaaliman.bandcamp.com/album/neptunes-overtone
http://www.dhruvaaliman.com/
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/5XiFCr9iBKE6Cupltgnlet
-
6:44
Seeker Land
1 month agoChina's New Deadly Drone Mothership - Jiu Tian - World's First Airborne UAV Launcher
105 -
0:31
Daily-Facts
3 years agoSurprising Facts About Crypto
26 -
1:51
Resist the Mainstream
3 years agoBill Gates Makes Surprising Comment About Omicron, Vaccines
48.1K95 -
LIVE
Film Threat
18 hours agoVERSUS: AUGUST BOX OFFICE BLOOD BATH! MARVEL IS COOKED! | Film Threat Versus
115 watching -
LIVE
The Nunn Report - w/ Dan Nunn
1 hour ago[Ep 734] Leftists Support of Black-on-Black Crime | Bolton Raid / Media Hypocrisy
233 watching -
29:39
Afshin Rattansi's Going Underground
1 day agoEx-Israeli PM Ehud Olmert: INTOLERABLE Amount of Innocent Palestinians Have Been Killed in Gaza
10K26 -
7:49
Dr. Nick Zyrowski
6 months agoVitamin D is Dangerous? Get The TRUTH!
10.4K11 -
1:03:48
daniellesmithab
3 hours agoExploring Nuclear Energy in Alberta
15.2K4 -
LIVE
Reidboyy
2 hours ago $0.34 earnedNEW FREE FPS OUT ON CONSOLE NOW! (Delta Force = BF6 with Killstreaks)
44 watching -
2:30:04
Nerdrotic
5 hours ago $2.24 earnedNerdrotic Nooner 509
28.7K1