Richard Prum, an evolutionary ornithologist and professor at Yale University, has spent the last three decades researching the possibility that birds progressed from dinosaurs. He revealed scientists in the 20th century were berated for suggesting the two may be from the same species. However, Dr Prum detailed how his latest discovery has helped bring credibility to what was once labelled a “crackpot theory”.
Speaking on BigThink, he said: “Over about two or three decades, the evidence started to pile up until finally, it was irrefutable.
“Of course, the final and most dramatic evidence of this was the origin of feathers.
“When we found feathers on theropod dinosaurs — like close relatives of Velociraptor, people really realised, ‘Wow, birds are dinosaurs!’
“In this sense, they didn’t just come from dinosaurs, they are dinosaurs living amongst us — 10,000 species found on all continents around the world.”
Dinosaurs first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233 million years ago.
However, the origin of birds has long been a mystery in evolutionary biology because they appeared to be so different from other vertebrates.
Scientifically they were branded reptiles, despite having no particular relations, with the closest living relative of birds being crocodiles.
Dr Prum was speaking at an event following the release of his new book ‘The Evolution of Beauty: How Darwin’s Forgotten Theory of Mate Choice Shapes the Animal World – and Us’.