Researchers Say A Change In Developmental Timing Was Crucial In Evolutionary Shift From Dinosaurs to Birds

At first glance, it’s hard to see how a common house sparrow and a Tyrannosaurus Rex might have anything in common. For all their differences, though, scientists now say that two are more closely related than many believed. A new study, led by Harvard scientists, has shown that modern birds are, essentially, living dinosaurs, with skulls that are remarkably similar to those of their juvenile ancestors.