Evolution “prevails” in South Korea

Published in The Hindu on September 9, 2012 Starting 2013, science textbooks in South Korea will continue to carry information on archaeopteryx, once considered the primitive bird fossil, and other examples of evolution, reports Nature. The major victory for science comes nearly four months after the South Korean government issued a petition to the publishers … Continue reading Evolution “prevails” in South Korea

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Editorial: A retrograde decision

Published in The Hindu on June 15, 2012 The dethroning of Archaeopteryx as the basal bird last year has had the much anticipated effect — opportunistic creationists using the findings to further advance their unscientific and absurd views. According to Nature, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology of South Korea recently revealed its decision … Continue reading Editorial: A retrograde decision

Editorial: Archaeopteryx dethroned

Published in The Hindu on August 13, 2011 The discovery of Archaeopteryx , the most primitive bird fossil, in 1861, just two years after the publication of Charles Darwin's great work, On the Origin of Species , could not have been better timed. Exhibiting both dinosaur features and typical bird-like ones such as feathers, wishbone, … Continue reading Editorial: Archaeopteryx dethroned

Archaeopteryx is not an early bird, study says

Published in The Hindu on July 28, 2011 The discovery of Archaeopteryx, considered the basal bird, became central to our understanding of avialan (a group that includes all birds and some dinosaurian relatives) origin. In fact, it became central to our understanding of the evolutionary process — how the dinosaurs slowly evolved to become today's … Continue reading Archaeopteryx is not an early bird, study says

Chemical signature of Archaeopteryx revealed

Published in The Hindu on May 13, 2010 For the first time ever, chemical analysis of Archaeopteryx — a transitional fossil between dinosaurs and bird — has been carried out, and first ever maps of dinobird's chemistry have been created. The maps reveal half a dozen elements (mainly phosphorus, sulphur, zinc, calcium, manganese, iron) that … Continue reading Chemical signature of Archaeopteryx revealed

Bird puzzle solved

Did birds evolve independently or from dinosaurs? The question has been settled by a recent discovery; the findings are published in the latest issue of Science. A ten-foot long, nearly complete fossil discovered in 160-million-year old mudstone beds in northwest China provides indisputable evidence that birds evolved from dinosaurs. The young adult fossil is clearly … Continue reading Bird puzzle solved