Bird Evolution Updated on New Tree of Life

Researchers worldwide have joined to create the most reliable avian tree of life to date. Prior to this project, which engaged 200 scientists from 80 institutions, scientists had sequenced the genomes for only the chicken, the turkey and the zebra finch. The new tree includes the genomes of 45 more, from hummingbirds to ostriches.  An asteroid hit the planet 65 million years ago, killing the dinosaurs and many other life forms. But birds survived that mass extinction, giving rise...

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