Bird-Dinosaur Link Proved

The long-suffering theory that today's birds are descended from dinosaurs just got a huge boost. Scientists have been able to confirm that the modern chicken and the prehistoric Tyrannosaurus Rex share the same collagen fibers -- a protein seequence that gives bone its structure and flexibility.

Scientists have at last uncovered the closest living relative of the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex, the most feared and famous of all the dinosaurs. For the first time, researchers have managed to sequence proteins from the long-extinct creature, leading them to the discovery that many of the molecules show a remarkable similarity to those of the humble chicken.

The research also brings scientists closer to being able to clone dinosaurs:

The research provides the first molecular evidence for the notion that birds are the modern-day descendants of dinosaurs, as well as overturning the long-held palaeontological assumption that delicate organic molecules such as DNA and proteins are completely destroyed during the process of fossilisation over hundreds of thousands of years. It also hints at the tantalising prospect that scientists may one day be able to emulate Jurassic Park by cloning a dinosaur.