James Ronan Avian Dinosaurs, Birds, Darwin Finches, Dinosaurs, Education, Evolutionary Biology, Feathers, Fossil Discoveries, Fossils, Learning, Natural History, Natural World, Newsletter, Palaeobiology, Palaeontology, Parrot, Rainbow lorikeet, The Palaeo Minute, Unlock Dino Insights

Birds The Living Dinosaurs Explained

Venture into the Lost World…One Minute at a Time

Your source for prehistoric knowledge!

A warm welcome to The Palaeo Minute!

Plumage & Legacy: Birds as Living Dinosaurs: Welcome to The Palaeo Minute, your bite-sized window into prehistoric wonders. This edition dives into how birds retain evolutionary and genetic advancements inherited from their dinosaur ancestors.

I explore the seven distinct types of bird feathers and examine how natural selection has shaped bird development for survival and feeding. From modern plumage to beak morphology, birds tell a remarkable story one that links their vibrant diversity to their prehistoric lineage.

I hope you enjoy this evolutionary journey into the origins of feathers, structures that first emerged not just for flight, but for insulation, communication, and display. Together, let’s uncover how birds are not merely descended from dinosaurs, they are dinosaurs, alive and thriving in our world today.

This edition explores:

  • Feather Types: The seven distinct types of bird feathers & their specialised functions.
  • Avian Success: Why birds thrive today, with over 11,000 species adapted to diverse habitats.
  • Natural Selection & Darwin’s Finches: Darwin’s Finches how evolutionary pressures shaped birds’ anatomy, & survival strategies.
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James Ronan Birds, Dinosaurs, Education, Fossil Discoveries, Geology, Isle of Skye, Jurassic World: Dominion, Paleontology, Steve Brusatte

Palaeontologist’s Encounter: The Impact of Steve Brusatte’s Lecture

I give an overview of a lecture I attended on the Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Professor Steve Brusatte, on the 5th of April 2022 as part of Cardiff University’s Voyage of Discoveries lecture series.

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James Ronan Birds, Enantiornithes, Fossil Discoveries, Learning, Paleontology

Enantiornithes Fossil Analysis: Revolutionary Avian Development Insights

On the 5th of March 2018 avian fossil research led by Dr Fabien Knoll from the University of Manchester’s Interdisciplinary Centre for Ancient Life (ICAL) was published in the journal of Nature Communications.

This research focused on the fossil discovery of a very young Enantiornithes, a prehistoric group of bird from the Early Cretaceous. This article will explain more about this discovery and its importance for understanding ancient avian development.

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James Ronan Birds, Dinosaur Locomotion, Dinosaurs, Learning, Paleontology, Tyrannosaurus Rex

Dinosaur Locomotion: Insights From Ground Dwelling Birds

On the 21st of February research was published in the Journal of PLOS One about a new study on the influence of ground dwelling Birds speed and size on locomotion (walking & running) to help gain an understanding as to how Theropod Dinosaurs might have moved. 12 species of bird were recorded on specially built running tracks by researchers in Australia with computer models extrapolating the data. This article will examine this research and what it could mean for the future of palaeontology.

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