CNN:dino-birds are not father of birds

[Betty Cunningham <bettyc@flyinggoat.com>]

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Scientists: Dinosaur-Birds Are Not Father of Birds (2)
Xinhua      27-FEB-99

Enthusiastic debate on the link between dinosaurs and birds has been
going on for at least a century and a half since naturalist Thomas
Huxley noted their similarities in the mid-1800s. 

The discoveries in Liaoning of the once-feathered creatures, or 
protarchaeopteryx, apparently lent some credence to the hypothesis that
birds
descended from small theropod dinosaurs. 

However, Hou rejected the theory of a direct connection between
dinosaur-birds and modern birds. 

"The two short-armed specimens have saw-like teeth that were flat and
sharp, with deep bulbous roots, unlike the modern bird's conical shape,"
Hou said. 

Also, their short arms could not support their bodies, and they
basically depended on two legs when moving, he said. 

"The feathered creature that lived in the place of Liaoning might not
share a close evolutionary heritage with birds," Dong said. 

Moreover, many vertebrate paleontologists have begun to question whether
feathers are key features that automatically mean a feathered creature
is a bird. 

Seven researchers from the institute, including Hou, attended a
congratulatory symposium, coinciding with the retirement of Ostrom, on
February 12 at Yale University. 

Worldwide authoritative scientists praised the achievements of Chinese
scholars in the field. They also made note of the location of the
treasured fossils in Liaoning. 
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