Paleontologist Philip Currie of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology will be speaking at a Brigham Young University Geology Seminar on Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 3 p.m. in C295 Eyring Science Center. His talk is titled "Feathered Dinosaurs and the Origin of Birds." Admission is free.
The once-heretical idea of a feathered T-rex is now mainstream due to recent discoveries of feathered, non-avian dinosaurs in Lower Cretaceous rocks of China. Many feathered dinosaurs sport a down-covered body, a fan-like cluster of feathers on the tail, well-developed feathers on the arms and, in some cases, on the legs. Some North American dinosaurs are closely related to these Chinese dinosaurs and many, including tyrannosaurus and Utahraptor, were likely feathered.
Currie, an expert in theropod dinosaurs, will discuss the latest discoveries and what they tell us about the connection between dinosaurs and Earth's most common tetrapods—birds.
More information and a photograph of Currie can be found at www.aapg.org/education/dist_lect/currie_itin.cfm
Currie is an American Association of Petroleum Geologists 2004-2005 Distinguished Lecturer. His talk is sponsored by the AAPG and BYU's Department of Geology. For more information, contact Brooks Bitt at (801) 422-7316.
