Skip to content Skip to main navigation Report an accessibility issue

Dr. Colin Sumrall to speak on “The Origin of Birds: Did the Age of Dinosaurs Really End?” October 9

origin-bird-dinos-endDr. Colin Sumrall, assistant professor of ecology & evolutionary biology, will speak on “The Origin of Birds: Did the Age of Dinosaurs Really End?” at the next UT Science Forum presentation Friday, Oct. 9.

It is well known that dinosaurs became extinct some 65 million years ago when the Earth was struck by a rather large asteroid. Unfortunately, it isn’t true. The resulting mass extinction killed the large dinosaurs, marine reptiles and many other groups of animals ultimately paving the way for the rise of mammals. However, every bird alive today is as much a dinosaur as TyrannosaurusAllosaurusand Stegosaurus. This talk will look at the transformation of a lineage of small carnivorous dinosaurs into birds and show why we are still living in the age of the dinosaurs (arguably the greatest birding story ever told).

The UT Science Forum begins at 12 p.m. in the Thompson-Boling Arena Cafe, Rooms C-D. A 40-minute presentation is followed by a Q&A. Participants are encouraged to bring their lunch or purchase it from the Arena Cafe.

The event is free and open to the public.