Allometric Scaling in the Earliest Archaeopteryx lithographica

Archaeopteryx is almost universally considered a primitive bird. Debate persists, however, about the taxonomic assignment of the six skeletal fossils. Allometric scaling of osteological data shows that all specimens are consistent with a single growth series. The absence of certain bone fusions suggests that no specimen is full-grown. Allometric patterns, as compared to growth gradients of other dinosaurs, extant ectotherms, and extant endotherms, suggest that Archaeopteryx was likely a homeothermic endotherm with rapid growth and precocial abilities for running and flying. Multivariate allometric models offer a significant potential for interpreting ontogenetic patterns and phylogenetic trends in the fossil record.     

Archaeopteryx is not a forgery

Archaeopteryx lithographica might be regarded as the most important zoological species known, fossil or recent. Its importance lies not in that its transitional nature is unique-there are many such transitional forms at all taxonomic levels-but in the fact that it is an obvious and comprehensible example of organic evolution. There have been recent allegations that the feather impressions on Archaeopteryx are a forgery. In this report, proof of authenticity is provided by exactly matching hairline cracks and dendrites on the feathered areas of the opposing slabs, which show the absence of the artificial cement layer into which modern feathers could have been pressed by a forger.     

Archaeopteryx: notice of a "new" specimen

A fourth specimen of Archaeopteryx (cf. lithographica), the oldest known fossil bird, was recently found in the collections of the Teyler Museum in the Netherlands. Unique preservation of the horny sheaths of the manus claws provides new evidence that may be relevant to the question of the origins of avian flight. Tentative interpretation suggests a cursorial rather than arboreal origin.     

A well-preserved Archaeopteryx specimen with theropod features

A nearly complete skeleton of Archaeopteryx with excellent bone preservation shows that the osteology of the urvogel is similar to that of nonavian theropod dinosaurs. The new specimen confirms the presence of a hyperextendible second toe as in dromaeosaurs and troodontids. Archaeopteryx had a plesiomorphic tetraradiate palatine bone and no fully reversed first toe. These observations provide further evidence for the theropod ancestry of birds. In addition, the presence of a hyperextendible second toe blurs the distinction of archaeopterygids from basal deinonychosaurs (troodontids and dromaeosaurs) and challenges the monophyly of Aves.     

Comment on "A well-preserved Archaeopteryx specimen with theropod features"

On the basis of new information from the 10th specimen of Archaeopteryx, Mayr et al. (Reports, 2 December 2005, p. 1483) suggested that birds, or avian flight, originated twice. We investigate the statistical support for this phylogenetic hypothesis and show that it is no better supported by available morphological character data than the hypothesis of a single avian origin.     

Saturn's spokes: lost and found

The spokes are intermittently appearing radial markings in Saturn's B ring that are believed to form when micrometer-sized dust particles are levitated above the ring by electrostatic forces. First observed by the Voyagers, the spokes disappeared from October 1998 until September 2005, when the Cassini spacecraft saw them reappear. The trajectories of the charged dust particles comprising the spokes depend critically on the background plasma density above the rings, which is a function of the solar elevation angle. Because the rings are more open to the Sun now than when Voyager flew by, the charging environment above the rings has prevented the formation of spokes until very recently. We show that this notable effect is capable of stopping spoke formation entirely and restricting the size of the particles in the spokes.     

Geochronology of wadi tushka: lost tributary of the nile

The Sadat Canal, now under construction, is designed to drain excess water from Lake Nasser to the Western Desert by way of Wadi Tushka, a sand-filled, dry-wash tributary of the Nile 34 kilometers north of Abu Simbel. Core-drilling logs made by the Aswan High Dam Authority prior to excavation of the Sadat Canal and along 48 kilometers of its axis reveal as much as 33 meters of unconsolidated sand and gravel over Mesozoic bedrock and under surficial dune sand and playa muds of Holocene age. Excavation of the canal revealed Acheulean artifacts 6.7 meters below the surface in fluvial sediments capped by a buried, red calcic paleosol. These data are interpreted as evidence for the existence of a major tributary of the Nile during the late middle Pleistocene. The tributary drained the Kiseiba-Dungul Depression and possibly the Kharga Depression as well. Chalcedony-armored mudstones in the depressions are believed to be saline lake deposits possibly related to a lake that drained to the Nile by way of Wadi Tushka, thus entrenching the divide between the depression and the valley. Gross correlations with Pleistocene deposits of the Nile Valley and the Kharga Depression are based upon archeological evidence only until more precise geochronology can be applied to the problem.     

Comment on "Narrow primary feather rachises in Confuciusornis and Archaeopteryx suggest poor flight ability"

Nudds and Dyke (Reports, 14 May 2010, p. 887) compared the rachis diameters of the primary feathers of Archaeopteryx and Confuciusornis to those of modern birds and found that the primary feathers of these two basal birds were too weak to support sustained flight. Our measurements of Confuciusornis specimens suggest that their conclusions need to be further evaluated.