Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS
Content archived on 2024-06-18

Animated 3D digital reconstructions of early European birds: a new window on the origin of avian flight using “state-of-the-art” techniques on exceptional fossils

Objective

"The origin of avian flight is possibly the most spectacular example of an evolutionary transition and, consequently, has aroused passionate scientific debate and fired public attention. The fossil record indicates that birds emerged within theropods (a group of carnivorous dinosaurs that includes species such as Tyrannosaurus rex) in the Late Jurassic. Mesozoic birds are extremely rare. Their fossil remains are mostly known from exceptional sites such as that of Las Hoyas, in Spain. Four beautifully preserved bird specimens (one of them unpublished), representing at least three species, have been found at Las Hoyas. They are intermediate forms between the primeval bird Archaeopteryx and modern birds both in age and evolutionary stage. The recent advances in X-ray imaging technologies and computer modelling, together with the discoveries of these key specimens, make it possible to use digital reconstructions to study the origin and evolution of flight from a biomechanical perspective. This project aims at using various ""state-of-the-art"" techniques to re-create digitally these early birds so as to study their preservation, chemistry, locomotion, and flight abilities. The fossil birds from Las Hoyas will be digitally brought back to life thanks to the prodigious possibilities offered by synchrotron imaging (both tomographic and chemical). The 3D musculoskeletal models will be animated according to the limitations dictated by their reconstructed anatomy, so that their flying performance can then be evaluated. The synchrotron-based imaging will also provide data to aid in the reconstruction of plumage patterns of the Las Hoyas birds. This ambitious project will bring together ""state-of-the-art"", interdisciplinary science to elucidate and resurrect the biology and locomotor ability of these pivotal avian species."

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IEF
See other projects for this call

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

MC-IEF - Intra-European Fellowships (IEF)

Coordinator

THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER
EU contribution
€ 309 235,20
Address
OXFORD ROAD
M13 9PL Manchester
United Kingdom

See on map

Region
North West (England) Greater Manchester Manchester
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data
My booklet 0 0