Spectacular feathered dinosaur fossil shows bird-like adaptations

 

Image courtesy of Andrea Cau et al., Nature Communications (2026)

Joel Kontinen

The 57-centimetre-long fossil is between 100 million and 145 million years old, and was discovered by a farmer near the town of Lamadong in Liaoning, China.

Some Darwinist sat  that a bird like dinosaur was found in China,  it was was donated to a museum at Hebei GEO University in 2023, where Ji Qiang and his colleagues examined the exquisitely preserved specimen, complete with plumage, teeth, wings and articulated spine.

he researchers determined that the dinosaur was a new species, which they named Norellraptor barsboldi in honour of palaeontologists Mark Allen Norell and Rinchen Barsbold. It belongs in a group of small dinosaurs with both feathers and wings known as microraptorines.

Based on evolutionary relationships, the researchers found that around 30 per cent of anatomical changes in microraptorines also evolved in the bird lineage, but in a different order, providing evidence that the two groups evolved flight separately and for different reasons.

Analyses of N. barsboldi’s bone microstructure, its growth patterns and its evolutionary relationships show that the evolutionary sequences leading to flight adaptations in living birds and in bird-like dinosaurs were quite different, says Jacqueline  Nguyen.

This survey does not say that dinosaurs and birds are relatives.

Source:

James Woodford 2026 Spectacular feathered dinosaur fossil shows bird-like adaptations | New Scientist 29 September 

Hummingbird Sized Dinosaur May Actually Be A Lizard, Evolution Claims

Image courtesy of Lida Xing, fair use doctrine.



Joel Kontinen

A fossil attributed to a teensy, feathered dinosaur may not be a dinosaur at all, but rather a ... lizard, according to new research. With the new criticism, the March study — titled "Hummingbird-sized dinosaur from the Cretaceous period of Myanmar" was retracted on July 22 from the journal Nature where it had been published, according to a statement in the journal.

The creature’s 99 million-year-old skull was entombed in amber when scientists discovered it in a mine in Myanmar (formerly Burma), Entombed in amber for 99 million years - This is the standard view of birds or animals trapped in amber found in Myanmar.

Despite what the scientist say, birds cannot change into dinosaurs. That is a Darwinian story that can't be verified. A tiny bird has been found in Myanmar, and early birds molted just like modern birds do.

Source:

Geggel, Laura. 2020. Hummingbird-size dinosaur may actually be a lizard. Live Science 23 July.

Sparrow from Dinosaur Times

Image courtesy of Zhongda Zhang / Current Biology.




Joel Kontinen

Current Biology has published data on one of the “first” case of a sparrow. It was dated at 99 million years ago.

However According to a Science articles, all Burmese dates entombed in amber rely on a single date.This is something that the researchers should thing about. Nonetheless, for instance National Geographic had this to say:

“One of these ancient fliers might resemble a modern sparrow—except for its bizarrely long toes, an adaptation never before seen in any bird, living or dead.

The newly described bird, Elektorornis chenguangi, was found entombed within less than six grams of amber, scientists report today.”

Yes, a sparrow was found in the age of the dinosaurs. It looked like a sparrow, and it probably also acted like one.

They claim that the region from where the fossil was found “was home to coastal forests full of trees that oozed tree resin.”

I would say that it speaks more of Noah’s Flood. It has left reminiscences everywhere, for instance the Heavitree Gap in Australia.

Source:

Greshko, Michael. 2019: Ancient bird foot found in amber has bizarrely long toes. National Geographic (12 July).