From: Glenn Morton (glenn.morton@btinternet.com)
Date: Wed Jan 22 2003 - 01:13:44 EST
There is a report on the BBC which suggests that a 32,000 year old carving
represents the Hunter of the Sky (Orion). The report can be found at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2679675.stm
The Times (London) on Jan 17, 2003, p. 10 had an article on how feathered
dinosaurs learnt to fly. The article says "Professor [Ken} Dial developed
the idea, which fills in one of the missing links of the evolutionary path
from dinosaurs to birds, after observing chukar partridges, which are poor
at flying. Chukars, which weigh about a pound (0.45 kg) each, can run up
vertical inclines such as bailes of hay, without flying, by beating their
wings. Flightless dinosaurs, he reasoned, were ideally equipped to do the
same thing, sporting feathered 'partial wings' in place of forearms."
"'The big dilemma has always been how do you explain the partial wing,'
Professor Dial said. 'It turns out the proto-wings--precursors to wings
birds have today--actually acted more like a spoiler on the back of a race
car to keep the animal sure-footed even while climbing nearly vertical
surfaces.'"
This answers the question creationists always ask about what is the value of
a half-evolved wing. Dial's study will be published in Science.
glenn
see http://www.glenn.morton.btinternet.co.uk/dmd.htm
for lots of creation/evolution information
anthropology/geology/paleontology/theology\
personal stories of struggle
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