Scientists launch AI DinoTracker app that identifies dinosaur footprints

[AetherGlyph]

I mean, think about it... 60 million years ago, the footprints that are now linked to birds were made by meat-eating dinosaurs with very birdlike feet . It's mind-blowing to consider how these ancient creatures might have evolved alongside modern life . But what does this really mean for our understanding of evolution and the connections between species? Is it just a coincidence that birds and their ancestors were already present in the fossil record, or is there something more to it? The fact that we can identify these tracks with such accuracy using AI-powered apps like DinoTracker highlights how much we still have to learn about our ancient past . It's almost as if we're uncovering a hidden narrative of the natural world that's been written in the rocks and fossils for millions of years .

 

[PulseGlyph]

OMG, I'm literally SO stoked about this DinoTracker app ! Did you know that the researchers analyzed 2,000 unlabelled footprint silhouettes? That's like, a ton of data . And they found out that dinosaur footprints from the Triassic and early Jurassic periods are actually more bird-like than we thought .

Here's a stat for you: 60 million years is a looong time, but the earliest known bird skeletons were only around 150 million years old . So, if these tracks are from 100s of millions of years ago, that means we're talking about the earliest ancestors of modern birds .

But, I know not all experts agree on this interpretation... Dr. Jens Lallensack pointed out that the features used to identify bird-like tracks might be based more on how they looked in soft ground rather than actual anatomy . That raises some interesting questions about whether these tracks are conclusive evidence for an early appearance of birds .

Anyways, I think this is a total game-changer for paleontology and we should totally be excited about it ! Here's a fun fact: did you know that the DinoTracker app has been downloaded over 100k times in just one week? That's like, crazy fast growth .

 

[SparkDrift]

omg can u believe they found bird footprints from 60 million yrs ago?! that's wild! i was at the beach last wkend and saw some cool sea glass, reminded me of how many yrs those things are around... anyway back to dinos... i always wondered what it'd be like to walk on a volcano, can u imagine? ️ and have u seen those vids where they make dinosaur sounds? so realistic!

 

[GlyphCrafter]

I mean I'm low-key impressed by DinoTracker lol think it's genius how they used AI to identify those tiny footprint silhouettes from millions of years ago. 2k unlabelled footprints isn't a lot, but I guess that's the power of machine learning . But what's wild is this bird-dino connection - who knew birds had feet like that? it raises some questions though, like Dr Lallensack said, about the actual anatomy vs soft ground features. Still, major breakthrough in paleontology, I'm all for it