Page 218 - Once Upon a Time There Was Darwinism
P. 218
an intermediate structure could not breathe and therefore,
would not survive. 158
2) Embryological comparisons of birds and reptiles
made in 2002 by Alan Feduccia and Julie Nowicki showed a
major difference in the hand structure of the two, proving
that it was impossible to establish an evolutionary connection
between them. 159
Once Upon a Time There Was Darwinism
3) The final comparison between the skulls of the two
groups showed the same conclusions. As a result of a study
he carried out in 1999, Andre Elzanowski concluded that
there were "no specific avian similarities found in the jaws and
palates of dromaeosaurids [a group of theropod dinosaurs]." 160
4) Another difference separating birds from reptiles is
their teeth. It is known that in the past, some birds had teeth
in their beaks—which for a long time was presented as a so-
called proof of evolution. But eventually, it became known
that birds' teeth were peculiar to them. On this subject,
Feduccia writes:
Perhaps the most impressive difference between theropods
and birds concerns the structure of teeth and the nature of
their implantation. It is astounding that more attention has not
been given to the dramatic differences between bird and thero-
pod teeth, especially when one considers that the basis of
mammal paleontology involves largely tooth morphology. To
be brief, bird teeth (as seen in Archaeopteryx, Hesperornis,
Parahesperornis, Ichthyornis, Cathayornis, and all toothed
Mesozoic birds) are remarkably similar and are unlike those of
theropods. . . There is essentially no shared, derived relation-
ship of any aspect of tooth morphology between birds and
216