"Early Bird Evolution: Flourishing Before Dinosaur Extinction"
A new study suggests that modern birds began diversifying tens of millions of years before the asteroid strike that led to the extinction of dinosaurs, indicating that the impact had limited impact on avian evolution. Researchers analyzed genomic data from 124 bird species and found that the common ancestor of modern birds lived approximately 130 million years ago. The study also suggests that a global warming event around 55 million years ago may have accelerated avian evolution, but questions remain about the steady accumulation of mutations and the impact of the asteroid on avian evolution.
