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Why birds outlived T. rex

Why birds outlived T. rex

60-Second Science vor 5 Monaten

How a few unique traits helped modern-style birds—the last living dinosaurs—survive the asteroid apocalypse that took out T. rex and other mighty beasts

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Birds are the only dinosaurs who managed to survive the asteroid
impact that wiped out 75 percent of all species 66 million years
ago. But how did they pull it off? To get some answers, host Kendra
Pierre-Louis speaks to paleontologist Steve Brusatte, author of the
upcoming book The Story of Birds: A New History from Their Dinosaur
Origins to the Present. Their conversation traces the incredible
evolutionary journey of modern birds and explores what these
animals’ survival story can teach us today. Recommended Reading:
How birds survived the dinosaurs’ doomsday The Story of Birds: A
New History from Their Dinosaur Origins to the Present, by Steve
Brusatte. Mariner Books, April 28, 2026 E-mail us at
sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or
ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new everyday:
subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science,
our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Kendra
Pierre-Louis, Fonda Mwangi, Sushmita Pathak and Jeff DelViscio.
This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura, with fact-checking by
Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. Our theme music was composed by
Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
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