Santonian
Fourth age of the Late Cretaceous epoch
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| 2025 |
Bird
By this time, whole genome sequencing for birds had significantly advanced, with genomes of 542 species completed, covering at least one species from every bird order and approximately 90% of extant avian families.
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| 2024 |
Bird
Stiller et al. publish a cladogram of modern bird relationships, recognizing 44 distinct bird orders according to the International Ornithological Congress (IOC).
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| 2023 |
Bird
Archaeological excavation in Israel discovered 10,000-year-old hollow wing bones of coots and ducks with side perforations, potentially used as flutes or whistles by Natufian people to lure birds of prey.
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| October 2022 | A GSSP for the top of the Santonian Stage was officially ratified in Bottaccione, Gubbio, Italy. |
| 2020 |
Bird
Genomes of 542 bird species had been completed, representing at least one species from every bird order and about 90% of extant avian families.
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| 2015 |
Bird
Molecular clock calibration estimate confirmed modern birds originated early in the Late Cretaceous, likely in Western Gondwana, with a pulse of diversification occurring around the Cretaceous–Palaeogene extinction event.
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| 2012 | The Subcommission on Cretaceous Stratigraphy ratified the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Santonian Stage, located near Olazagutia, Spain. |
| 2010 |
Bird
Only two bird genomes (chicken and zebra finch) had been sequenced at this point in scientific research.
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| 2010 |
Bird
Genomic research revealed that 542 bird species' genomes were completed, with at least one genome sequenced from every avian order and approximately 90% of extant avian families.
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| 2010 |
Bird
Researchers began using advanced fossil and molecular evidence to provide a clearer picture of modern bird order evolution, challenging previous classification methods.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Santonian & Bird, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.