Dinosaurs and What We Thought We Knew
this first link is around three or four years old, but it’s still interesting:
Discovery raises new doubts about dinosaur-bird links (Bio-Medicine.org, 6/9/2009)
Researchers at Oregon State University have made a fundamental new discovery about how birds breathe and have a lung capacity that allows for flight and the finding means it’s unlikely that birds descended from any known theropod dinosaurs.
The conclusions add to other evolving evidence that may finally force many paleontologists to reconsider their long-held belief that modern birds are the direct descendants of ancient, meat-eating dinosaurs, OSU researchers say.
“It’s really kind of amazing that after centuries of studying birds and flight we still didn’t understand a basic aspect of bird biology,” said John Ruben, an OSU professor of zoology.
This one is more recent:
The book that could change the way we see dinosaurs: We think of them as sleek and fierce, but what if they were fat and furry?
Our conception of dinosaurs is based on the interpretations of artists who imagine how they might have looked from their skeletal remains
Now two artists offer a radical reinterpretation of how the prehistoric beasts appeared by challenging assumptions.
…
Our traditional conception of dinosaurs as sleek, leathery animals is based on images created by palaeoartists, who specialise in imagining extinct creatures by studying their skeletons.
The problem is that these sparse remains cannot tell us the whole story, offering little information about layers of body fat, skin type, colouring or poise.
There’s nothing wrong with speculation and educated guesses. But I think we grow up more influenced by the illustrated versions of those speculations and guesses than we realize.
at any rate, the second link also has some really fun illustrations (one of a mating dinosaur, so you may not want to click through with kids around who might ask you questions you don’t want to answer).
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2243526/The-book-change-way-dinosaurs-We-think-sleek-fierce-fat-furry.html#ixzz2Ep0DQ6MT