The match is the first molecular support to the hypothesis (based on bone similarities) that birds and dinosaurs are evolutionary cousins. But unrelated species can evolve similar anatomies. The molecular match is stronger evidence that crows hopping around some roadkill can claim velociraptors as great-uncles.
The discovery that proteins endure so long means molecular techniques may untangle the evolutionary relationships among extinct animals, says Mary Schweitzer of North Carolina State University, who found cells in the Montana rex. Until now, family trees have been constructed from the shapes of bones and teeth, a not-always-reliable technique.
