The debate over whether birds originated from dinosaurs has raged for over a century. Currently, the vast majority of paleontologists believe that birds did indeed originate from dinosaurs, specifically theropods. However, recently, scientists Ann Burke and Alan Fedakzia from the University of North Carolina have demonstrated through embryological research that birds did not originate from theropod dinosaurs.
During evolution, both theropod dinosaurs and birds lost two toes. Theropod fossils indicate that the fourth and fifth toes gradually shrank and eventually disappeared during evolution. However, Ann-Burke and Alan-Fedakzia, through observation of embryos, discovered that in the three bird species—chickens, ostriches, and cormorants—which are quite different in classification, the first and fifth toes disappeared, while the three middle toes were retained. They therefore hypothesized that birds could not have evolved from theropod dinosaurs, because theropods could not have regrowed the fourth toe after its loss and simultaneously caused the first toe to disappear.
Peter Dodson, a dinosaur expert at the University of Pennsylvania's College of Veterinary Medicine, had previously been a strong supporter of the hypothesis that birds originated from theropod dinosaurs. However, after learning about the research of Ann Burke and Alan Fedakzia, he praised their findings and stated that he would reconsider the question of bird origins. Clearly, the new evidence presented by Ann Burke and Alan Fedakzia does indeed challenge the hypothesis that birds originated from theropod dinosaurs.
