Dinosaurs DNAin't Got It
By Faith Smith
A study published in the journal Nature this week has found that the great carnivorous beasts of prehistory, like Tyrannosaurus rex, had relatively small genomes.
Researchers extrapolated the size of dinosaurs' genomes by studying cells from fossilized bones. They found that bipedal carnivores known as theropods, which are thought to be the ancestors of birds, were under-proportioned in the genome department.
But plant-eating dinosaurs, such as Stegosaurus and Triceratops, were more generously endowed, having moderately-sized genomes within the range of modern day lizards and crocodilians.
However, any dinosaurs suffering an inferiority complex need no longer worry as it turns out their small genome is nothing to be embarrassed about.
In fact, a lungfish has a bigger genome than a human, implying that size really doesn't matter (although the lungfish might feel differently).
But the study also led to the scientists discovering something far more interesting than just the size of the genomes.
The researchers, from Harvard University and the University of Reading, wrote that their work suggests that theropods had streamlined their genomes, cutting out the junk DNA - a feature previously thought to be found only in modern birds.
This trait appeared very early in dinosaur evolution, roughly 230 million years ago, providing further evidence that birds evolved from these dinosaurs.
So let's just hope the birds aren't embarrassed by their small genomes either!
Researchers extrapolated the size of dinosaurs' genomes by studying cells from fossilized bones. They found that bipedal carnivores known as theropods, which are thought to be the ancestors of birds, were under-proportioned in the genome department.
But plant-eating dinosaurs, such as Stegosaurus and Triceratops, were more generously endowed, having moderately-sized genomes within the range of modern day lizards and crocodilians.
However, any dinosaurs suffering an inferiority complex need no longer worry as it turns out their small genome is nothing to be embarrassed about.
In fact, a lungfish has a bigger genome than a human, implying that size really doesn't matter (although the lungfish might feel differently).
But the study also led to the scientists discovering something far more interesting than just the size of the genomes.
The researchers, from Harvard University and the University of Reading, wrote that their work suggests that theropods had streamlined their genomes, cutting out the junk DNA - a feature previously thought to be found only in modern birds.
This trait appeared very early in dinosaur evolution, roughly 230 million years ago, providing further evidence that birds evolved from these dinosaurs.
So let's just hope the birds aren't embarrassed by their small genomes either!
Image: W
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