Fossilized bird lung tissue controversial; Big if true
Here’s an interesting premise for science finds of 2018: Big, If True. Among them, Bird breathAre white speckles in the chest cavity of a 120-million-year-old bird fossil traces of a respiratory system similar to that of modern birds (SN: 11/10/18, p. 12)? If so, the fossil, found in China, could be the first to preserve lungs of a bird. Some paleontologists aren’t convinced, partly because it’s so rare for delicate lung tissue to survive fossilization. Cassie Martin, “These 2018 findings could be big news — if they turn out to be true” at ScienceNews Note: What makes the Big, If True premise interesting is that researchers were not looking to find this; it happened on them and it raises questions. In Read More ›