The 250-million year rise and fall of the dinosaurs | Steve Brusatte
Big Think
Jul 3, 2026
Paleontologist Steve Brusatte explains that birds are the only surviving lineage of dinosaurs, having evolved from small, feathered ancestors that endured the mass extinction 66 million years ago. While T-Rex and other giants succumbed to the asteroid's aftermath, these resilient, seed-eating avian ancestors adapted, eventually diversifying into the 10,000+ species we see today.
Key insight: Birds are not just related to dinosaurs; they are biologically classified as dinosaurs, possessing the same skeletal structures and evolutionary lineage as the creatures that dominated the Earth for 150 million years.
