Debating the Connection Between Birds and Dinosaurs
We live in a world, where every question must have an answer. If that question doesn’t have an answer, somebody is determined to find out what the answer is. One of those very questions is simply, did birds evolve from dinosaurs? Many scientists have theories. There is no definite answer. I will, however, give you information on some theories scientists have, as well as information on a new discovery that may very well be indeed what scientists around the world have been looking for. I will leave it up to you, to decide who you think is right.
The idea that birds and reptiles are closely related is not a new one. Since Darwin, similarities between modern birds and reptiles started
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It was first brought up by Thomas Huxley. Thomas was eating a quail and noticed that the dinosaurs and a bird are so similar that they must be related somehow (Willis 1998). His reasons for this theory were that, “only dinosaurs had the same sort of ankle joint as birds, only dinosaurs had the same sort of ilium as birds, some dinosaurs had the same sort of rear foot as birds with a rear-pointing fourth toe (phalanx), advanced dinosaurs had the same sort of build as birds with a short torso, stable hips, long and very flexible neck and long rear limbs. He also believed “only dinosaurs and pterosaurs had hollow bones or the air sacks which are connected to a bird-like lung” and “some dinosaurs had the same sort of hip as birds (“Where did birds come from?”).” Thomas’s theory wasn’t favored by many when a new theory suggested “birds evolved from a pre dinosaurian reptile.” However in the late 1960’s, a man by the name of John Ostrom realized that 22 features in meat-eating dinosaurs skeletons were also found in birds. More research has found more then 85 features that link theropods and birds (Willis …show more content…
Others, however, disagree with the birds/dinosaurs theory. Two people who believe this theory is not true are Alan Feduccia and Larry Martin. They believe birds evolved from something else during a period before dinosaurs. They also argue that there are differences between birds and dinosaurs. The rib cage of the theropod, for example, is compressed from side to side, while the birds is compressed back to belly (Willis 1998). Larry Martin also thinks that the feathers found on dinosaurs “lack any clear feather characteristics and are called feathers only because some researchers theorize that dinosaurs should have feathers." Another point that Martin brings up is that theropods were land animals and some were huge, causing a feathered land animal to have problems getting in the air because the wouldn’t be able to get the speed to stay in the air. He also argue the fact that dinosaurs had feathers to keep themselves warm. He believed dinosaurs didn’t need to be warmed up due to the fact that warm-blooded animals can stay active in cold temperatures. He also brought up the fact that the weather was typically warm most of the time. He also believes that timing is a problem. The first known bird, the Archaeopteryx, goes back 150 million years ago. But the theropod dinosaurs are found in the fossil record only as far back as 120 million years ago, “and the most birdlike
W. H. Freeman and Company, New York. 2) http://www.trueauthority.com/dinosaurs/about.htm 3) Dr. Robert Riesz, University of Toronto, “Ceratopsia and Ornithopoda” http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/w
In the book, Matteo Ricci, a pious Christian, tried to impress the Chinese by using his memory skills. He also hoped that they can be interested in his culture and thus interested in God (p. 140). Under that time fierce political and financial situation and religious fermentation, it was really tough for Ricci and other preachers to preach in China. In order to reach goal which make the people in China believe in god, they went through a lot of difficulties. But also because of these difficulties, they shattered Ricci’s original dream which was easy to preaching in a different country into pieces. Ricci and others thus tried to find another accessible and more realistic way to achieve their goals.
Paul, Gregory S. (2002). "Looking for the True Bird Ancestor". Dinosaurs of the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 171–224. ISBN 0-8018-6763-0.
...ories of why dinosaurs went extinct abound, and as there is no theory yet to be truly confirmed as the “right one”, my theory of dinosaur cannibalism is also purely anecdotal. The discovery of the cannibalistic Majungatholus atopus in Madagascar is an important scientific find because it confirms a long-standing theory of cannibalism among certain carnivorous dinosaurs. Behavioral patterns of extinct animals are difficult to establish; however, these bones give authentication to previous unfounded beliefs about the ancient feeding practices of some dinosaurs.
During the 1970’s, women were extremely mistreated and did not have many rights. There were very limited opportunities and women were restricted for doing certain things that men could. Throughout the United States women were not tried as equals compared to men. At the time, ladies could barely do anything if they did not have a husband, lesbian women did not have the freedom to express their sexual preference, abortions were illegal, females could only attend certain college and occupy certain jobs, and this list of inequalities can go on for days. According to the article some of these problems still exist today which is a major issue.
At a time, scientists believed all dinosaurs were cold-blooded. However, with a recent discovery of a dinosaur found with a fossilized heart in the northern part of South Dakota in 1993, many paleontologists are starting to think that there were some dinosaurs that were warm blooded.
Fossil evidence suggests that the Cathartid (New World) vultures have been around for quite some time with two fossil species dated from the early Oligocene (about 35 million years ago). During the Pliocene and Pleistocene (about 2 million years ago) th...
There is a continuing debate worldwide regarding the topic of women’s rights and equality. Some have stronger opinions than others but in the long run it is shown that women have come a long way since the Seneca Falls convention in 1848 as well as the Civil Rights Movement in the 1920’s. Since the civil rights movement, women have struggled with religious freedom, equality, schooling, voting, stating their voice in government, and family life. Over the past generations dramatic social and legal changes have been pursued to pave the way for women’s acceptance today; changes such as affirmative action, reproductive rights, abortion, and the pursuit of higher education. Generations of women have come together to help build stronger ground to address women’s rights by participating in civil rights meetings, petition drives, lobbying, public speaking and non-violent resistance acts. Women have also overcome hardships such as rejection, isolation, discrimination, and unfair treatment in the workforce. In today’s society women now have more opportunities then ever before such as invol...
The life of a woman prior to the 1960’s was simple; stay in the home, take care of the family, and face discrimination daily. The feminists of the 20th century had different visions for themselves however, including: equal pay for equal work, an end to domestic violence, an end to sexual harassment, and sharing of household responsibilities.
Women's activism has brought and is continuously causing changes in the country that are more liberating and emancipating of the women's rights and place in the society. With the help of brave, bold, and principled women, the status and roles of women in the nation have become more meaningful. Indeed, the 20th century was a turning point in the lives of many women. This was the time when women battled against the oppressions brought by patriarchy through crusading for the promotion of their civil rights, sexual freedom, and pursuing careers which were once forbidden to them.
The debate of whether dinosaurs were cold blooded or warm blooded has been ongoing since the beginning of the century. At the turn of the century scientists believed that dinosaurs had long limbs and were fairly slim, supporting the idea of a cold blooded reptile. Recently, however, the bone structure, number or predators to prey, and limb position have suggested a warm blooded species. In addition, the recent discovery of a fossilized dinosaur heart has supported the idea that dinosaurs were a warm blooded species. In this essay, I am going to give supporting evidence of dinosaurs being both warm and cold blooded. I will provide background information on the dinosaur that was discovered and what information it provides scientists.
But when the “Women’s Movement,” is referred to, one would most likely think about the strides taken during the 1960’s for equal treatment of women. The sixties started off with a bang for women, as the Food and Drug Administration approved birth control pills, President John F. Kennedy established the President's Commission on the Status of Women and appointed Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman, and Betty Friedan published her famous and groundbreaking book, “The Feminine Mystique” (Imbornoni). The Women’s Movement of the 1960’s was a ground-breaking part of American history because along with African-Americans another minority group stood up for equality, women were finished with being complacent, and it changed women’s lives today.
With all the new acts being passed women were able to go to school and work, and women pursued these new opportunities. There was a rising rate of women enrolling in colleges. Females surpassed the number of men applying (The Role of Women in the 70 's - Exploring the Seventies). Thousands of women were going to college and participating highly in clubs and sometimes sports. Not only were women participating in schooling, women started to hold positions in Congress. Three percent of our congressional representatives were women by the 1970s. There were many newspaper job ads created that were calling for the help of women, thus promoting more women to enter the workforce. Along with these changes there was more personal strengths created in the home. Husbands were getting regularly involved with family meals and housework, thus creating more financial and emotional strength in families (Eisenberg). In the late 70’s females were not only participating in college for their education but they were also obtain financial ground stating the employer 's can not discrimination against pregnant women (The 1960s-70s American Feminist Movement: Breaking Down Barriers for
Beginning in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century women began to vocalize their opinions and desires for the right to vote. The Women’s Suffrage movement paved the way to the nineteenth Amendment in the United States Constitution that allowed women that right. The Women’s Suffrage movement started a movement for equal rights for women that has continued to propel equal opportunities for women throughout the country. The Women’s Liberation Movement has sparked better opportunities, demanded respect and pioneered the path for women entering in the workforce that was started by the right to vote and given momentum in the late 1950s.
During the 1950’s and 1970’s the greatest change for women was politically due to the fact that women were given more privileges. Women had wanted to become equal to men for so long and now they had their chance to become the same.