High-energy X-ray confirms feathered dinosaur

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2010/05/11/BAKG1DCC9M.DTL&object=%2Fc%2Fpictures%2F2008%2F12%2F12%2Fmn-fossil13_ph2_0499555272.jpg

Key Ideas:

• Scientists at Stanford have aimed a high-energy x-ray beam at a fossil of Archaeopteryx and have identified key chemicals in the creature's bones, wings, and in its soft tissue.
  
• The scientists report they have found a powerful new tool to explore tissues long entombed in fossils of many other ancient life forms.
  
• Sulfur and phosphorus were found in the feathers and zinc and copper were retained in its bones.
• Padian said he hoped that they would be able to shine their intense light on the fossils of feathered dinosaurs discovered in China.
  
• This helped to prove that dinosaurs are the ancestors of modern birds, but some argue that birds are modern dinosaurs.

Reflection:

This article helps to prove that science has come so far in the past few years. This new technology can help to solve the mysteries paleontologists have been trying to solve for years. This breakthrough is revolutionary and will be helpful for future generations. This article has implications that great things will one day be discovered, and these discoveries will unlock many secrets to the development of humans. This article was cool to read, and it will be interesting to see what other discoveries come from use of this technology. This course helped me to understand this topic because we studied evolution and fossils was a part of that unit.

MLA: "High-energy X-ray Confirms Feathered Dinosaur." San Francisco Chronicle: C-1. San Francisco Bay Area — News, Sports, Business, Entertainment, Classifieds: SFGate. 11 May 2010. Web. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/11/BAKG1DCC9M.DTL&type=science