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[In Depth] Ma, where did they put T. rex?

ScienceNOW - Fetched: March 23rd, 2017, 3:00pm UTC

A new study gives the long-standing dinosaur family tree an overhaul. Based on analyses of hundreds of traits gleaned from existing studies and fossils, the study strikes down a fundamental split of dinosaurs into "bird-hipped" and "reptile-hipped"; it also shifts the charismatic theropods—the group that includes Tyrannosaurus rex and eventually gave rise to birds—to a new spot on the tree, closer to the bird-hipped dinos. The reorganization of the tree suggests that hypercarnivory evolved in different groups through convergent evolution, and may upend the picture of where dinosaurs arose. But don't throw out your dog-eared dino books just yet, other researchers caution: This new family tree is likely to be debated for some time to come. Author: Carolyn Gramling

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