Birds are the surviving descendants of predatory dinosaurs. However, since the likes of Tyrannosaurus in addition to Velociraptor, or in addition to therefore parts of their anatomy accept move radically transformed. The skull, for instance, is straightaway toothless, in addition to accommodates much larger eyes in addition to brain. Skulls are similar 3-D puzzles made of smaller bones: As the oculus socket in addition to encephalon illustration expanded along evolution, birds lost 2 bones of the skull that were i time introduce inwards dinosaurs -the prefrontal, at the upper front end corner of the eye, in addition to the postorbital, behind the eye.
Nature Ecology & Evolution has uncovered how during embryonic evolution of the plane skull, both of these dinosaur bones are notwithstanding introduce equally starting points of os formation (ossification centers). Rather than becoming independent bones of the adult skull (as inwards ancient predatory dinosaurs), they fuse speedily to other embryonic bones, becoming undetectable inwards the adult bird. The report is the master's thesis of evolutionary biologist Daniel Smith.
During the evolution of toothed, dinosar-like birds inwards the Cretaceous period, the disappearance of the adult postorbital coincided amongst an increase inwards size of the brain, equally good equally the frontal os higher upwards the brain. The novel report shows how the embryonic postorbital of birds fuses to the frontal, becoming utilization of that bone. By adding itself to the frontal, the postorbital could accept allowed it to expand in addition to suit a larger encephalon inwards evolution.
Professor Bhart-Anjan Bhullar at Yale University (who was non utilization of the study) summarizes the operate of his colleagues: "Smith-Paredes et al. accept discovered dinosaurian vestiges hidden inwards the embryonic skull of birds, in addition to inwards in addition to therefore doing accept presented an elegant solution to the query of why the avian frontal os is a composite structure: it incorporates other bones idea lost during the dinosaur-bird transition. Therefore, evolution has worked inwards a graceful, elegant agency —by subtly removing seams in addition to fusing existing edifice blocks —to laid something remarkably divergent in addition to unique."
The Vargas lab has previously studied how parts of the embryonic wrist, shank in addition to human foot also present a full general dinosaur pattern, earlier developing an anatomy that is specific to birds. The novel report provides farther testify for the "inner dinosaur" of birds, inwards the feel that much of their embryology is notwithstanding the same equally inwards their ancient ancestors.
Source: Universidad de Republic of Chile [November 20, 2018]
Sumber http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com
Buat lebih berguna, kongsi: