It is a discovery that confuses the evolutionary tree. The oldest known bird was closer to a dinosaur than previously thought. It is the new fossil that has been exceptionally well preserved, which reveals a foot and skull that more closely resemble those of a group of two-legged predatory dinosaurs called the dromeosaurs, than modern birds. The bird fossil has jagged teeth and a dinosaur-like skeleton that make the palaeontologists believe the archaeopteryx was no modern species of bird. That birds probably evolved from small meat-eating dinosaurs, and are closely related to the dromeosaurs, a group that includes the velociraptor, have been concluded by palaeontologists from nine previously known specimens. But, how is archaeopteryx related to the raptors? A precise reply to this has yet remained unclear. But, hope the new finding will help scientists with a new route to advance their research.
Via: New Scientist