skepttv: New dinosaur species sheds light on the beginnings of...

skepttv:

New dinosaur species sheds light on the beginnings of birds and dinosaurs

Through an expedition to the Gobi Desert of China, scientists have solved 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.

For more information about this discovery, watch this audio slideshow or read more at:: http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=116291