Name: The Roles of Sleep and Flight in Evolution - Dinosaurs and Mammals
Start: 2022-05-10T19:30:00
End: 2022-05-10T21:10:00
Location: Brewhemia

This evening we’ve got two fascinating talks. The first is about the amazing and surprising influence sleep has had on the evolution of mammals, while in the second we learn about the incredible Pterosaurs and their extinction - they were like dinosaurs but able to fly!

Pterano - Don't call pterosaur a dinosaur!

Natalia Jagielska (Palenteologist & Illustrator)

Pterosaurs aren't dinosaurs. Sure, like dinosaurs, they were large reptiles. They evolved and lived with dinosaurs, much like birds today, decorating skies and inhabiting every habitat you can think of. Like some dinosaurs, they perished when the asteroid hit the Earth. But if they are not dinosaurs - what are they? Pterosaurs are the first vertebrates with the ability to fly. Some pterosaurs were so small they could fit in your fist, others were the size of fighter jets. But if they were so diverse and seemingly, extremely successful - why did they perish while the birds didn't?

Early risers: sleep, teeth, and the evolution of mammals

Dr. Greg Funston (Palaeontologist, Photographer, and Explorer)

You grow more by sleeping that’s why you need 8 hrs. New research uses subtle variations in daily growth preserved for millions of years in fossil teeth as a road map to untangle the daily lives of our ancestors. By mapping growth increments, calibrating them with chemical changes in the teeth we can pinpoint the moment of birth and breastfeeding period in 63 million year old mammals. This has revealed adaptations of the reproductive system that allowed our ancestors to take the top spots in their ecosystems after dinosaurs went extinct. Who knew your beauty sleep could be so important?

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