Where dinosaurs come from

Dinosaurs might have first evolved near the equator in Gondwana — a portion of the supercontinent Pangaea that today exists as northern South America and northern Africa. Researchers used computer modelling to analyze three proposed evolutionary trees, based on characteristics such as the ability to generate their own body heat. “These specialised traits didn't appear overnight,” says palæontologist Joel Heath, who co-authored the research. “However, we haven't yet found the transitional fossils that show how these changes happened.” The model accounts for gaps in the fossil record by factoring in the likelihood that plenty of fossils have yet to be discovered — especially in difficult-to-explore places.