Darwin: Growth of an Idea Lectures

Luis M. Chiappe

October 17, 2008 - "Downsized Dinosaurs: The Evolutionary Transition to Modern Birds"

Dr. Luis M. Chiappe is director of the Dinosaur Institute and curator of the Department of Vertebrate Paleontology of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Dr. Chiappe has conducted extensive research on a wide range of topics related to the evolution of dinosaurs, from their reproductive behavior to their evolutionary connection with birds. He is considered a world's authority in the origin and early evolution of birds, scientific issues that are core of his research and that of his postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. For many years, he has led expeditions to the most desolate regions of Patagonia, Central Asia, and western North America. His discovery of thousands of dinosaur eggs and babies in a remote corner of Patagonia is one of the most covered paleontological stories of the last few years. This research was featured in the Tiniest Giants, a large traveling exhibition that he curated at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. His extensive research has been published in more than 100 research articles and books (Walking on Eggs, Glorified Dinosaurs, and other volumes) as well as in magazines such as National Geographic, Natural History, and Scientific American. He is a fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the Alexander Humboldt Foundation, an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California, and a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

You can also view a video of the Chiappe talk (requires RealMedia Player).