Canadian scientist aims to turn chickens into dinosaurs

http://www.physorg.com/news170426405.html

by MaysonL • 17 years ago

23 22 17 years ago

robotrout• 17 years ago

Try to imagine yourself at Montreal's McGill University. You get your first look at this "six foot chicken" as you enter a laboratory. He moves like a bird, lightly, bobbing his head. And you keep still because you think that maybe his visual acuity is based on movement like T-Rex - he'll lose you if you don't move. But no, not Velocichicken. You stare at him, and he just stares right back. And that's when the attack comes. Not from the front, but from the side,

warwick• 17 years ago

Overheard at McGill:

Guy 1: It looks like we're out of a job.

Guy 2: Don't you mean extinct.

abefortas3• 17 years ago

This is interesting, and would be epsecially so if he could actually get to a making a dinosaur stage.

Larsson says chickens are direct descendents of dinosaurs. He is a paleontologist. My brother says they are dinosaurs. He is merely an aspiring paleontologist. Perhaps both are the case? Can anyone clear this up?

a-priori• 17 years ago

It's just a sign that this is still such new knowledge that a consensus hasn't been reached yet on the terminology. Some people think birds are distinct from dinosaurs. Others think they still are dinosaurs. It just depends where people draw the line. So yes, they're both right, depending on your definitions of "bird" and "dinosaur".

run4yourlives4• 17 years ago

Chickens are dinosaurs in the same way that you are a prehistoric Lemur.

You, and all other primates are descendent from the first proto-primates that appeared millions of years ago. A lot changes in 65 million years, so to say they are exactly the same is not any more accurate than calling you a lemur.

That said, it is likely that you do have a hell of a lot in common with ancient lemurs, at least DNA wise.

abefortas3• 17 years ago

But "lemur" is rather more specific than "dinosaur." Dinosaur is just a broad category defined by scientists. If they want "Dinosaur" to include modern animals, that's up to them.

From the tone of your answer, you sound pretty confident that chickens are not dinosaurs-- perhaps you have some authoritative information on this? If so, can you direct me to it? My google-fu deserts me.

hughprime• 17 years ago

In evolutionary terms, dinosaurs are best described as a region of the family tree which lies somewhere between:

a) the last common ancestor of all birds, and b) the last common ancestor of all birds and reptiles

As such, whether they're classified as reptiles, birds, or in their own category is really just a matter of taste.

onreact-com4• 17 years ago

These guys should stop focusing on the movies they watched as kids. Creating "traits of dinosaurs" in chicken is as useful as waking the dead or speaking with ghosts. The more I read about "modern science" the more I wonder why they don't employ psychiatrists at scientific facilities to prevent the most bizarre fallacies.

Dilpil• 17 years ago

The aim of the research- as clearly explained in the article by the way- is not to gain utility from mutant chickens, but to prove that birds evolved from dinosaurs.

gloob3• 17 years ago

Creating "traits of dinosaurs" in chicken is as useful as waking the dead or speaking with ghosts.

I'm not sure about useful, but both of your examples would definitely be very interesting, which would be good enough for me if someone managed to pull one of them off.

onreact-com4• 17 years ago

Science does not exist to satisfy tabloid curiosity.

ellidi• 17 years ago

...with cardboard, scissors and duct-tape.

Canadian scientist aims to turn chickens into dinosaurs

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