More non-avian feathered Chinese dinosaurs 13 Nov 2009 “The integumentary appendages seen in non-avian dinosaurs document a series of transitional forms from typical archosaurian scales to typical avian feathers.” From here. Fig. 4 Known feather morphotypes of non-avian dinosaurs A. morphotype 1, single filament; B. morphotype 2, multiple filaments joined basally; C. morphotype 3, multiple filaments jointed basally on a central filament; D. morphotype 4, multiple filaments branching laterally from most of the length of a central filament; E. morphotype 5, multiple filaments arising from the edge of a membrane structure; F. morphotype 6, compound structure composed of a prominent rachis with symmetrical, well-organized and closed vanes on either sides; G. morphotype 7, compound structure composed of a prominent rachis with asymmetrical, well-organized and closed vanes on either side; H. morphotype 8, a prominent rachis with symmetrical, undifferentiated vanes on either side. Check out the images of dinosaur skin impressions too. Evolution
Evolution William Smellie on the great chain of being 2 Mar 2009 William Smellie wrote The Philosophy of Natural History in 1791, and it remained in print for over a century. It’s a lovely and explicit expression of the Great Chain of Being view that all things grade insensibly from simple to perfect, and all classifications are arbitrary. This was effectively the… Read More
Book Yet another “post-Darwinism” 2 Aug 201122 Jun 2018 Over the years there have been many books that purport to “radically revise” or “supplant” Darwinian evolutionary biology; they come with predictable regularity. Usually they are of three kinds: something is wrong with natural selection, something is wrong with inheritance, or something is wrong with phylogeny. This book, by geneticist… Read More
Evolution A schism in the Church of Dick 26 Feb 201018 Sep 2017 I know, it’s just schadenfreude on my part and it’s so very childish, but I can’t help it. The Church of Dick has undergone a schism, with the prophet anathematising previously loyal followers. But, and I state this for the record, it isn’t anything like a religious movement. Nope… Should… Read More