birds Archives

Home Biology Evolution Home Biology Paleontology & Fossils July 31, 2024 Editors' notes Mass extinction 66 million years ago triggered rapid evolution of bird genomes, study finds by University of Michigan Photograph of a Broad-billed Tody, Todus subulatus, a member of the bird group Coraciimorphae.

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Impact events, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Press Release

Mass Extinction 66 million Years Ago Triggered Rapid Evolution Of Bird Genomes

by Keith CowingAugust 1, 2024August 1, 2024

Shortly after an asteroid slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, life for non-avian dinosaurs ended, but the evolutionary story for the early ancestors of birds began.

Conceptual and geographic layout of the study system. Space weather from the sun, such as coronal mass ejections, disturb Earth’s magnetic field, causing the auroras and potentially decreasing the magnetic field’s reliability for migrating birds. Artwork by John Megahan, University of Michigan, from Gulson-Castillo et al. in PNAS, October 2023.

Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Press Release, Space Weather & Heliophysics

Space Weather From Our Local Star Disrupts Nocturnal Bird Migration On Earth

by Keith CowingOctober 10, 2023October 9, 2023

It’s well-known that birds and other animals rely on Earth’s magnetic field for long-distance navigation during seasonal migrations.

birds

Mass Extinction 66 million Years Ago Triggered Rapid Evolution Of Bird Genomes

Space Weather From Our Local Star Disrupts Nocturnal Bird Migration On Earth

Underwater Oxygen Loss Threatens Earth’s Stability, Researchers Warn

Fire And Ice: Were Yellowstone’s Past Volcanic Eruptions And Glaciations Related?

Substrate-Agnostic 3x: Biosignatures, Technosignatures, Ecologies

Planet-moon Ejections In Close Stellar Encounters

First Study Hints Solar Storms May Alter The Weather During Martian Dust Storms