WEST WICKHAM: Dino-bird find has Lorraine Cornish in a whirl

A DINOSAUR-MAD mum-of-two has led a groundbreaking project which proves the "missing link" between prehistoric meat-eaters and our feathered friends.

As deputy head of the Natural History Museum's world-renowned Palaeontology Conservation Unit (PCU), Lorraine Cornish's work proves the long-held theory dinosaurs did not die out - they evolved into birds.

Mrs Cornish, 44, of Hawes Lane, West Wickham, visited Beijing to bring back a selection of "dino-bird" fossils found in Lao Ning, north east China, for preservation.

Some of the 124 million-year-old specimens are the only examples of their kind in existence and clearly show the feathers of small meat-eating dinosaurs.

One "fuzzy raptor" fossil, dubbed Dave, is Mrs Cornish's favourite, she says.

She added: "These fossils were millions of years in the making but could have been destroyed in minutes if they were not conserved properly.

"They are extremely well-preserved because of the volcanic environment the creatures lived in. It enables us to see a snapshot of life at the time.

"They also support the theory, which dates from the 19th Century, that dinosaurs evolved into birds.

"So, the sparrows in our gardens are descended from dinosaurs which lived millions of years ago."

The museum is exhibiting a small selection of the thousands of fossils still being dug out of the Lao Ning excavation, which is hundreds of feet high.

Working with staff from the Geological Museum of China, the PCU team used special cleaning techniques, with synthetic resins under a microscope, to stabilise the specimens.

l Dino-Birds: The Feathered Dinosaurs of China is at the Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, until May 5.

l Look out for a special feature on Lorraine Cornish and her fascinating work in the March issue of our revamped Limited Edition magazine.

January 28, 2003 10:30