Dinosaurs Evolved to Birds? IMPOSSIBLE
Many people believe dinosaurs are still alive today, and not just the people that have researched Mokele-mbembe (the sauropod from the Congo) or the Loch Ness monster (that has been described as a plesiosaur in Scotland). True evolution believing scientists think dinosaurs are still alive today, the only difference is they call them birds.
Science
Science is a field that deals with objects we can study, observe, and test. No one has ever observed a dinosaur (or any other kind of animal) turn into a bird. Since we can not observe the process today we must leave the field of science and enter the liberal art of forensics. A forensic scientist will use objects they can test, study, and observe in the present to support or refute their hypothesis of what happened in the past.
1. Respiratory System
Reptile lungs are much like human lungs where air goes in, oxygen is extracted, and air goes out. In bird lungs, air sacks allow air to always travel in one direction through the lung. These systems are designed completely different. When you watch a bird breathe they externally appear to function in the same way as a human but internally the birds lungs are much different from other animals. While inhaling the clean air passes through the lungs, extracts the oxygen, and then that used air is stored in anterior air sacks. At the same time some clean air also fills the posterior air sacks for use during the exhale cycle. When the exhale cycle begins a check valve closes that allows the anterior air sack to discharge the used air and allows the clean air in the posterior air sacks to discharge through the lungs and extract the oxygen. While inhaling and exhaling the air is always moving in one direction through the bird lungs. This unique design produces about 20 times more oxygen flow than a reptile lung because the circulatory system is designed so blood flows in the opposite direction of the air flow. Scientists have never observed a respiratory system with lungs turn into a respiratory system with air sacks.
2. Hip Structure
With two types of dinosaur hips (saurischians or ornithischians) neither of them are close enough to a modern bird hip as can be explained by several slight evolutionary modifications. The hip of a theropod dinosaur (dino's with two big feet and two small hands that supposedly turned into birds) is less similar to a bird hip than the larger dinosaur family that have all four feet on the ground so it is somewhat ironic that they still consider theropod dinosaurs to be “lizard hipped”. The “bird hipped” pelvis has a the pubis bone facing backwards whereas the “lizard hipped” pelvis has the pubis bone facing forwards. Not only would changes in bone structures be detrimental to stability, but this type of change would have had to occur multiple times in the ornithischians (Ornithopods), the therizinosauroids (Segnosaurs), and in dromaeosaurids (Velociraptors) that all would have evolved at different times. Scientists have never observed a hip structure change from a “bird hip” to a “lizard hip”.
3. Knee and Ankle
At first glance you may notice that dinosaur knees face forward like ours and bird knees face backwards but if you look a bird skeleton you will see that the knee is not visible and the joint that bends when running is actually the ankle. While it may be difficult to explain why a bird would evolve a long rigid foot bone and have such a high ankle the problems are even more physiological. The rear of a bird is filled with posterior air sacks that are critical to its respiratory system. Birds thigh bones are fixed in position to support the air sacks unlike dinosaur (and human) thigh bones that move while running. The reason birds are ankle runners instead of knee runners is because if the bird femur moved while running the air sacks would collapse. These systems would could not have evolved separately but both would have had to form at the exact same time for the bird's survival. Scientists have never observed an animal change from a knee runner to an ankle runner.
4. Finger Digits
Humans have five finger digits labeled from thumb to pinky I, II, III, IV, and V. Since most animals have a common design they also share common arm/wrist/hand structures. Some people that believe in evolution have attributed this to a common ancestor and therefore label dinosaur and bird hand digits using the same numbers 1 through 5. This becomes a problem for evolutionists because developmental observation has shown birds have digits II, III, and IV while fossil evidence indicates dinosaurs have digits I, II, and III. If dinosaurs evolved into birds then the dinosaur hand would have had to evolve a fourth digit and loose the first digit. Since the finger digit number is determined by where it is placed on the wrist, others have suggested that bones have been added to one finger and removed from another while still attached to the same place on the wrist. Scientists have never observed a finger change positions.
5. Hollow Bones
Birds, unlike dinosaurs, have hollow bones that contain struts or trusses. This design provides extra strength and a light weight similar to what we use in building houses and bridges. These kinds of genetic features can not evolve due to environmental changes or necessity. Scientists have never observed marrow filled bones change into hollow bones with trusses.
6. Metabolism
Most reptiles like the Komodo Dragon are very lethargic and have a slow metabolism unlike birds. The Bar-tailed Godwit is a bird that makes a 15,000 mile annual trip from Alaska to Hawaii to New Zealand to China and back to Alaska. Metabolism is based on many chemical reactions in the body that all have to take place at the same time.
7. Thermoregulation
“Cold-blooded” reptiles regulate their body temperature in much different ways than “warm-blooded” birds and mammals. “Warm-blooded” or endothermic animals internally maintain a constant body temperature by automatically regulating their metabolism. “Cold-blooded” or ectothermic animals use external sources of heat to regulate their body temperature. The process of temperature regulation is built into the creatures DNA long before they are born and can not be changed. Scientists have never observed a endothermic animal turn into an ectothermic animal.
8. Size
Most birds are under 2' in length while several dinosaurs found have been over 100' in length. Since reptiles never stop growing it is plausible their great size was caused by them living to be hundreds of years old. The Bible says it was not uncommon for people to live 900 years before the flood. DNA contains all the information necessary to produce large and small animals. Dogs can range in size from a 10 inch Chihuahua to a 3.5 foot tall Great Dane but no amount of breeding will allow a breaking of the DNA Code Barrier and create a 100 ft long dog. Scientists have never observed changes in DNA that would allow animals to drastically change their size.
9. Kneeled Sternum
Birds have a furcula or wishbone that includes a kneeled sternum bone. Birds that fly all have a kneeled sternum where muscles attach to that are critical for flight. Scientists have never observed a animal without a kneeled sternum grow one and have special muscles attach to it.
10. Scales to Feathers
Scales on reptiles are nothing like feathers. A feather is a complicated plumage found only on birds. Feathers grow from a follicle like hair and consist of a stem that has barbs extending off of it. The barbs have barbules. The barbules have hooks. These hooks are just like microscopic Velcro that is designed with the exact curvature to hook onto the neighboring barbules. Scales are simply folds and pockets in skin and do not grow from a follicle. The reason a snake can shed its entire skin at once is because the scales are all connected, unlike feathers or hair. Feathers and scales are both made from keratin but that does not explain their completely different structures and design. Shells, claws, beaks, and porcupine quills are also all made of keratin, not because of a common ancestor, but because keratin is well designed and suitable for many purposes. Some reports say dinosaurs had protofeathers based on fossils with lines found around the edges of the skin. Protofeathers are in no way similar to feathers and are probably just frayed collagen fibers that originated from within the skin, not feathers from follicles outside the skin. Scientists have never observed scales turning into follicles that could produce feathers.
11. Preening Gland
Birds have a uropygial gland, or preen gland, at the base of their spine that secretes an oil. Birds turn their heads 180 degrees and use their beak to rub the preen oil on their feathers. Without this lubrication the feathers on birds wings can not operate properly. Dinosaurs do not have a uropygial gland. Scientists have never observed an animal evolve a preen gland and the ability to turn their heads 180 degrees to access the bottom of their spine at the same time.
12. Modern Fossil Birds
For dinosaurs to have evolved into birds it would require dinosaurs to be around first but we find fossils of modern birds in layers before their supposed dinosaur ancestors. Confuciusornis feducciai and Confuciusornis sanctus are some examples of modern birds found in the Early Cretaceous period.
So did dinosaurs evolve into birds?
NO. Birds came first, then dinosaurs were created.
Genesis 1
And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven... And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so... And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
