Hold onto your binoculars, folks! 🔭 An international team of scientists—led by zoologists from China's Zhejiang University—has flipped the script on how we understand bird evolution. Their groundbreaking study, published in Nature, reveals a fresh avian family tree that’s shaking up biology textbooks. 🌿📚
From Dinosaurs to Diversity
The research confirms birds diversified rapidly after non-avian dinosaurs bit the dust 66 million years ago. Talk about a glow-up! 💥 Now, Neoaves—a group covering 95% of modern birds—is split into four squads: Mirandornithes (flamingos), Columbaves (pigeons), Telluraves (eagles/parrots), and the newly minted Elementaves. Yep, that’s right—seagulls, penguins, and swifts now share this sleek new category. 🐧🌊
Genomics to the Rescue
By analyzing 363 bird species’ genomes (92% of existing families!), the team created the most detailed evolutionary map yet. 🧬 Lead researcher Zhang Guojie called it a ‘solid backbone’ for future studies, proving collaboration is *literally* for the birds. 🕊️
This work is part of the Bird 10,000 Genomes Project, aiming to sequence all living avian species. Who said science doesn’t have wings? 🚀
