Page 79 - The Origin of Birds and Flight

birds. . . But while many
dinosaur experts say they welcome
Ruben’s novel approach, few are willing to embrace his
conclusions so far. 5
In the view of some, Ruben’s report is a “one-two punch to the dinosaur
6
origins of birds hypothesis.” It is striking however, that the proponents of
dinosaurs evolving into birds do not include this evidence against their the-
ory in their calculations. Supporters of the dino-bird thesis cannot offer any
consistent explanation of how the rather complex avian lung, different from
that in all other living vertebrates, came into be. They close their eyes to any
contradictory evidence.
In addition, Ruben examined under ultraviolet light the species
Scypionyx samniticus, a small carnivore whose organs are among some of
the best preserved among known dinosaurs...The arrangement of certain
internal organs of this species, was revealed thanks to this ultraviolet light.
The main outlines of the animal's intestines, liver, windpipe (trachea) and
muscles were determined. Although the fossil is two-dimensional, Ruben
says:
Nothing is displaced . . . all [organs] are preserved in relation to each
other. 7
In this creature, a muscle that extends from the pubis to the liver helps
the liver to move backwards and forwards like a piston, thus enabling the
lung in modern-day crocodiles to expand and contract. The diaphragm, a
layer of tissue impermeable to air, separates the liver and lungs. According
to Ruben, the existence in dinosaurs of this structure known as the hepatic
piston diaphragm totally eliminates the possibility that they once breathed
by the same means as used in the avian lung. Ruben and his colleagues
concluded that the arrangement of the internal organs in dinosaurs in no
way resembled that in birds, and that these creatures were cold-blooded. 8
The Kansas University paleontologist Larry Martin, who reviewed Ruben
and his team’s research, states:
There’s actually no way they could be wrong about this. The
Scipionyx specimen has the best preser-
vation ever seen. It’s one of
the biggest discover-
ies of this dec-