Re: Sinornithosaurus in Nature

["Tim Williams" <twilliams_alpha@hotmail.com>]

Mickey Mortimer wrote:

> I can't wait to see what Feduccia et al will say about this one.  Will it 
> be (choose one):
>
> 1.  The structures are collagenous fibers (despite the fact that the paper 
> was discussed with Peter Stettenheim, who ought to know a feather when he 
> sees one)
> 2.  Sinornithosaurus is a bird
> 3.  The authors have committed a fraud.
>
> course we are all ignoring the highly probable option 4- Bird feathers 
> >were washed on top of the Sinornithosaurus holotype, so the feathers >are 
> simply associated incorrectly.

Or option 5 - The presence of feather-like structures is a primitive 
archosaurian character retained in _Longisquama_ and theropods - but 
_Longisquama_ is *still* a better candidate for the origin of birds because 
(1) it shows gliding adaptations and (2) is arboreal.

Of course, (1) is an inference based upon a functional interpretation of 
_Longisquama_'s "feathers"; and (2) is an inference of _Longisquama_'s 
lifestyle based on (1).  (Since we don't know what _Longisquama_'s legs 
looked like, it may very well have hopped around like a jerboa using its 
dorsal plumes for attracting a mate.)

I'm looking forward to see how BAND/ABSRD proponents explain 
_Sinornithosaurus_'s feathers away.  I don't expect to see any white flags 
flapping in the breeze.


Tim



------------------------------------------------------------

Timothy J. Williams

USDA/ARS Researcher
Agronomy Hall
Iowa State University
Ames IA 50014

Phone: 515 294 9233
Fax:   515 294 3163

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