Scientists track the brain-skull transition from dinosaurs to birds

The dramatic, dinosaur-to-bird transition that occurred in reptiles millions of years ago was accompanied by profound changes in the skull roof of those animals — and holds important clues about the way the skull forms in response to changes in the brain — according to a new study.

It is the first time scientists have tracked the link between the brain’s development and the roofing bones of the skull. The findings appear in the Sept. 11 edition of the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.