CTV NEWS | Some dinosaurs were flying before there were birds, new research suggests
Biologists now have a better idea of the origin of birds and the evolution of flight, two iconic events in the history of life on earth, thanks to work by a group of international scientists including a McGill professor. In updating the evolutionary tree, the team’s findings show some dinosaurs could fly before they evolved into birds, and many others were experimenting with powered flight. It also shows behaviour, movements and even anatomies that were traditionally associated with birds were first acquired by non-avian dinosaurs before the origin of birds and modern powered flapping flight.
The updated tree shows powered flight may have evolved in feathered dinosaurs and early birds at least three different times. The study involved researchers from five countries, and was led by two professors at Hong Kong University, Michael Pittman and Rui Pei. Their findings were published in the scientific journal Current Biology. "Our revised evolutionary tree supports the traditional relationship of dromaeosaurid (raptors)and troodontid theropods as the closest relatives of birds," said Pei. Professor Hans Larsson from McGill University in Montreal took part in the study. “This was a fun collaboration over several years,” said Larsson. “For the first time, we have a well resolved evolutionary tree of these small, feathered dinosaurs to ask questions about how birds originated.”
