TPO 31 A fossil skeleton of a dinosaur called Sinosauropteryx preserved in volcanic ash was discovered in Liaoning China in 1996 Interestingly the fossil included a pattern of fine lines surrounding the skeletal bones Some paleontologists interpret the li

The lecturer refutes all three arguments in the passage about the fossils of Sinosauropteryx that are preserved in volcanic ash. The reading claims that the fine lines surrounding the skeleton are less likely to be its feathers. However, the professor challenges all these arguments. She has counter-arguments for each of these assumptions and states that the Sinosauropteryx was a feathered dinosaur.

First of all, the passage shows that the lines surrounding them are the decomposition of the dinosaur's skin. The professor disagrees with this. She states that the paleontologists couldn't find these structures in other animals that are buried at the same site.

Second, the reading says that most of the dinosaurs had frills growing out from their body like feathers. Sometimes the experts may misinterpret them as feathers. But the professor casts doubts on this. She says that a specific protein called beta carotene is present in feather structures. But the frills don't have this protein. The traces of this is accessible from the sites that prove that this was a bird dinosaur.

Finally, the writer of the reading says that the feathers are located along its backbone and tail suggestive of they are non-functional as birds used them for flying or regulating their body temperature. On the other hand, the professor disproves this argument by mentioning the display function of the feathers in a bird other than flying. The lecturer, for instance, added that peacocks had colorful and long feathers for attracting mates and that are not used for flying. Likewise, the Sinosauropteryx had orange or white feathers that are well preserved in volcanic ash strongly proves that they had feathers not solely function to fly.