08/02/2013

Some Ground-Dwelling Dinos Had the Brains to Fly

9:25 minutes

Reporting in Nature, researchers write that even non-flying relatives of Archaeopteryx had brains with the motor and visual capabilities necessary to take wing. Paleontologist Amy Balanoff reconstructed the dino brains by taking CT scans of fossilized skulls.

Segment Guests

Amy Balanoff

Amy Balanoff is a paleontologist at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, New York.

Meet the Producer

About Christopher Intagliata

Christopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.