Study estimates dinosaurs originated 10 million years earlier
Updated
Updated · Greek Reporter · May 1
Study estimates dinosaurs originated 10 million years earlier
9 articles · Updated · Greek Reporter · May 1
Published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the research places dinosaur origins at 250-240 million years ago, versus confirmed fossils from about 230 million years ago.
Led by Yale's Chase Doran Brownstein, it used Bayesian tip-dating on nine fossil datasets and found major dinosaur groups split within five million years, indicating a rapid evolutionary radiation.
Anatomical evolution peaked around 233 million years ago during the Carnian Pluvial Episode, while the study says post-Permian ecological openings, not simple competition, likely enabled dinosaur expansion.
What 'ghost' dinosaurs roamed the Earth for 10 million years before the first fossils we have found?
Did a two-million-year rainstorm, not brute force, truly ignite the dinosaurs' long reign on Earth?
Revising Dinosaur Evolution: Early Middle Triassic Origins and Rapid Adaptive Radiations
Overview
Recent research reveals that dinosaurs originated between 250 and 240 million years ago during the Middle Triassic, following the massive Permian-Triassic extinction that cleared ecological space. This origin sparked a gradual evolutionary radiation, producing key early species like Nyasasaurus and Asilisaurus. An explosive burst of skeletal evolution in the early Late Triassic led to the rapid diversification of major dinosaur lineages from a common ancestor. Later, the end-Triassic extinction removed many competitors, allowing dinosaurs to expand and dominate. Crucially, the repeated evolution of herbivory and related adaptations enabled diverse feeding strategies, supporting coexistence and long-term success across the Mesozoic.