GW Research Team’s Dinosaur Discovery Helps Solve Piece of Evolutionary Puzzle
Jonah Choiniere Names New Species, Describes How One Family of Dinosaurs Came to Look Like Birds Independent of Birds
A George Washington University expedition to the Gobi Desert of China has enabled researchers to solve the puzzle of how one group of dinosaurs came to look like birds independent of birds. The discovery extends the fossil record of the family Alvarezsauridae – a bizarre group of bird-like dinosaurs with a large claw on the hand and very short, powerful arms – back 63 million years, further distancing the group from birds on the evolutionary tree. Until now, there was no direct evidence that dinosaurs of this type lived during the Late Jurassic, approximately 160 million years ago. George Washington University doctoral candidate Jonah Choiniere named the newly discovered species of dinosaur, “Haplocheirus sollers” (meaning simple, skillful hand). Mr. Choiniere’s research is featured in the Jan. 29 issue of the journal “Science.” More
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Jonah Choiniere describes the newly discovered dinosaur “Haplocheirus sollers.”
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Download broadcast quality video of Jonah Choiniere describing the newly discovered dinosaur "Haplocheirus sollers" (right click and select "save as" or "save target as").
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