About this episode
Prof Steve Brusatte discusses the evolution of birds from dinosaurs and their adaptability in the face of environmental challenges.
While many dinosaurs were wiped out when a colossal asteroid struck Earth 66m years ago, one group survived: birds. Prof Steve Brusatte, a palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh, has written a new book, The Story of Birds, tracing the evolution of our feathered friends from their dinosaur origins. He joins science correspondent Nicola Davis to discuss how scales first became feathers, how winged dinosaurs survived the impact of the asteroid and why their extreme adaptability offers hope that birds might also make it through the current environmental crisis. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
People in this episode
Host: Nicola Davis
Guest: Prof Steve Brusatte
Topics covered
- dinosaurs
- birds
- evolution
- environmental crisis
- palaeontology
Keywords
- dinosaurs
- birds
- asteroid
- evolution
- environmental crisis
- palaeontology
- feathers
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Edinburgh
Books & works: The Story of Birds
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