His contributions to
palaeontology include synonymising the
generaTroodon and Stenonychosaurus in 1987 (with the former name taking precedence)[7] and later reversing this in 2017.[8] He has also synonymised the ceratopsian taxon Rubeosaurus with Styracosaurus, the latter being the valid, senior synonym.[9]
One of Currie's main interests has been the evolutionary link between modern birds and non-avian dinosaurs. The similarities between
troodontids and
birds in particular made him a major proponent of the
theory that
birds are descended from
dinosaurs,[5] as did his finding that tyrannosaurids, along with many other non-avian theropod lineages, possessed
furculae, a trait previously believed to be exclusive to birds and absent from non-avian dinosaurs.[10] As part of the joint
China-Canada Dinosaur Project, he helped describe two of the first
dinosaur specimens from the
lagerstätten of the
Liaoning in China that clearly showed
feather impressions: Protarchaeopteryx[11][12] and Caudipteryx.[12] In contrast with the 1996 discovery of Sinosauropteryx, which only showed the impression of downy filaments, these were indisputably
feathers.[5] This not only helped cement the theory that birds are descended from dinosaurs, but indicated that many
dromaeosaurids were feathered.[13] He was later featured in numerous popular articles and
documentaries.[citation needed]
Currie has made important contributions to the study of
phylogenetics. He contributed to a comprehensive revision of the phylogenetic relationships of
ankylosaurid species in 2015.[19] He also reassessed the phylogenetic status of Nipponosaurus sachalinensis, discovering that it was much more basal among the
Lambeosaurinae than palaeontologists had previously thought.[20]
Currie's contributions to the study of dinosaur dentition include helping discover the first known instance of alveolar remodelling in dinosaurs[25] and revealing in a 2020 study that the dentition of Sinraptor bore extreme similarities to that of Allosaurus, further concluding that Sinraptor would likely have actively hunted medium-sized dinosaurs such as Jiangjunosaurus junggarensis.[26]
Currie helped rediscover the type localities of the Mongolian sauropods Nemegtosaurus mongoliensis and Opisthocoelicaudia skarzynskii in 2017; the location of both quarries had become unknown due to them being described several decades before and not having been studied for some time. The next year, he published a paper as the lead author in which he suggested the two taxa may represent the same species.[35]
As one of the world's foremost palaeontologists, Currie has been featured in many films, programs in radio and television, as well as in newspapers.[61] Apart from this, he has also been accessorial to many books:
(with Mastin C.O. & Sovak J); The Newest and Coolest Dinosaurs (Grasshopper Books, 1998).
(with Tanka S, Sereno P.J. & Norell M); Graveyards of the dinosaurs: what it's like to discover prehistoric creatures (
Hyperion Books for Children, 1998).
(with Sovak J & Felber E.P), A Moment in Time withTroodon (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2001).
(with Koppelhus E.B. & Sovak J); A Moment in Time withSinosauropteryx (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2001).
(with Felber E.P. & Sovak J); A Moment in Time withAlbertosaurus (Troodon Productions, 2001).
(with Koppelhus E.B. & Sovak J); A Moment in Time withCentrosaurus (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2001).
(with Koppelhus E, Orsen M.J., Norell M, Hopp T.P., Bakker R et.al); Feathered Dragons: Studies on the Transition from Dinosaurs to Birds (
Indiana University Press, 2004)
ISBN0-253-34373-9.
(with Špinar Z.V., Spinar V.S. & Sovak J); The Great Dinosaurs: A Study of the Giants' Evolution (Caxton Editions, 2004).
Currie, Philip J., ed. (1993). "Results from the Sino-Canadian Dinosaur Project". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 30 (10): 1997–2272.
doi:
10.1139/e93-175.
Currie, Philip J., ed. (1996). "Results from the Sino-Canadian Dinosaur Project, Part 2". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 33 (4): 511–648.
doi:
10.1139/e96-040.
References
^
abc"Currie, Philip J". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Foundation. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
^
abcdPurvis, Andrew (July 6, 1998).
"Call Him Mr. Lucky". Time. Vol. 151, no. 26. pp. 52–55. Archived from
the original on January 12, 2005. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
^"Dr. Philip J Currie > Professor". Faculty of Science. University of Alberta Department of Biological Sciences. August 17, 2006. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
^
abVan der Reest, Aaron; Currie, Philip J. (2017). "Troodontids (Theropoda) from the Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, with a description of a unique new taxon: implications for deinonychosaur diversity in North America". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 54 (9): 919–935.
Bibcode:
2017CaJES..54..919V.
doi:
10.1139/cjes-2017-0031.
hdl:1807/78296.
^Holmes, Robert B.; Persons, Walter Scott; Rupal, Baltej Singh; Qureshi, Ahmed Jawad; Currie, Philip J. (2020). "Morphological variation and asymmetrical development in the skull of Styracosaurus albertensis". Cretaceous Research. 107: 104308.
doi:
10.1016/j.cretres.2019.104308.
S2CID210260909.
^
abJi Qiang; Ji Shu-An (1997). "A Chinese archaeopterygian, Protarchaeopteryx gen. nov". Geological Science and Technology (Di Zhi Ke Ji). 238: 38–41.. Translated by the Will Downs Bilby Research Center, Northern Arizona University, 2001.
^
abLemonick, Michael D. (July 6, 1998).
"Dinosaurs of a Feather". Time. Vol. 151, no. 26. pp. 48–50. Archived from
the original on September 6, 2008. Retrieved July 3, 2008.
^Sloan, Christopher P. (November 1999). "Feathers for T. rex". National Geographic. 196 (5): 98–107.
^Eberth, David A.; Currie, Philip J. (2010). "On gregarious behavior in Albertosaurus". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 47 (9): 1277–1289.
Bibcode:
2010CaJES..47.1277C.
doi:
10.1139/E10-072.
^Arbour, Victoria M.; Currie, Philip J. (2015). "Systematics, phylogeny and palaeobiogeography of the ankylosaurid dinosaurs". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 14 (5): 385–444.
doi:
10.1080/14772019.2015.1059985.
S2CID214625754.
^Takasaki, Ryuji; Chiba, Kentaro; Kobayashi, Yoshitsugu; Currie, Philip J.; Fiorillo, Anthony R. (2016). "Reanalysis of the phylogenetic status of Nipponosaurus sachalinensis (Ornithopoda: Dinosauria) from the Late Cretaceous of Southern Sakhalin". Historical Biology. 30 (5): 694–711.
doi:
10.1080/08912963.2017.1317766.
S2CID90767373.
^Coria, Rodolfo A.; Currie, Philip J. (2003). "The braincase of Giganotosaurus carolinii (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 22 (4): 802–811.
doi:
10.1671/0272-4634(2002)022[0802:TBOGCD]2.0.CO;2.
S2CID85678725.
^Paulina-Carabajal, Ariana; Currie, Philip J. (2017). "The Braincase of the Theropod Dinosaur Murusraptor: Osteology, Neuroanatomy and Comments on the Paleobiological Implications of Certain Endocranial Features". Ameghiniana. 54 (5): 617–640.
doi:
10.5710/AMGH.25.03.2017.3062.
S2CID83814434.
^Paulina-Carabajal, Ariana; Lee, Yuong-Nam; Kobayashi, Yoshitsugu; Lee, Hang-Jae; Currie, Philip J. (2018). "Neuroanatomy of the ankylosaurid dinosaurs Tarchia teresae and Talarurus plicatospineus from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia, with comments on endocranial variability among ankylosaurs". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 494: 135–146.
Bibcode:
2018PPP...494..135P.
doi:
10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.11.030.
^Currie, Philip J.; Holmes, Robert B.; Ryan, Michael J.; Coy, Clive (2016). "A juvenile chasmosaurine ceratopsid (Dinosauria, Ornithischia) from the Dinosaur Park Formation, Alberta, Canada". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 36 (2): e1048348.
doi:
10.1080/02724634.2015.1048348.
S2CID130632617.
^Burns, Michael E.; Currie, Philip J.; Sissons, Robin L.; Arbour, Victoria Megan (2011). "Juvenile specimens of Pinacosaurus grangeri Gilmore, 1933 (Ornithischia: Ankylosauria) from the Late Cretaceous of China, with comments on the specific taxonomy of Pinacosaurus". Cretaceous Research. 32 (2): 174–186.
doi:
10.1016/j.cretres.2010.11.007.
^Arbour, Victoria Megan; Currie, Philip J. (2011). "An istiodactylid pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Nanaimo Group, Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 48 (1): 63–69.
Bibcode:
2011CaJES..48...63S.
doi:
10.1139/E10-083.
^Currie, Philip J.; Wilson, Jeffrey A.; Fanti, Federico; Mainbayar, Buuvei; Tsogtbaatar, Khishigjav (2018). "Rediscovery of the type localities of the Late Cretaceous Mongolian sauropods Nemegtosaurus mongoliensis and Opisthocoelicaudia skarzynskii: Stratigraphic and taxonomic implications". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 494: 5–13.
Bibcode:
2018PPP...494....5C.
doi:
10.1016/j.palaeo.2017.10.035.
hdl:11585/622592.
^Barsbold, R.; Osmólska, H.; Watabe, M.; Currie, P.J.; Tsogtbaatar, K. (2000). "New Oviraptorosaur (Dinosauria, Theropoda) From Mongolia: The First Dinosaur With A Pygostyle". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. 45 (2): 97–106.
^Currie, P. J. and D. J. Varricchio (2004). "A new dromaeosaurid from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Alberta, Canada". Pp. 112–132 in P. J. Currie, E. B. Koppelhus, M. A. Shugar and J. L. Wright. (eds.), Feathered Dragons. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
[1]
^Ryan, Michael J.; Evans, David Christopher; Currie, Philip J.; Brown, Caleb M.; Brinkman, Don (2012). "New leptoceratopsids from the Upper Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada". Cretaceous Research. 35: 69–80.
doi:
10.1016/j.cretres.2011.11.018.
^Arbour, V.M.; Currie, P.J.; Badamgarav, D. (2014). "The ankylosaurid dinosaurs of the Upper Cretaceous Baruungoyot and Nemegt formations of Mongolia". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 172 (3): 631–652.
doi:
10.1111/zoj.12185.