Comment on "A well-preserved Archaeopteryx specimen with theropod features"

Science. 2006 Sep 1;313(5791):1238; author reply 1238. doi: 10.1126/science.1130800.

Abstract

On the basis of new information from the 10th specimen of Archaeopteryx, Mayr et al. (Reports, 2 December 2005, p. 1483) suggested that birds, or avian flight, originated twice. We investigate the statistical support for this phylogenetic hypothesis and show that it is no better supported by available morphological character data than the hypothesis of a single avian origin.

Publication types

  • Comment

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biological Evolution*
  • Birds* / anatomy & histology
  • Birds* / classification
  • Bone and Bones / anatomy & histology
  • Dinosaurs*
  • Flight, Animal
  • Fossils
  • Phylogeny