Folks have been wondering lately as to why scientists would grow dinosaur legs on a chicken. Well, it is all about the research, and folks should not worry about scientists accidentally creating an army of killer chickens with the aggressiveness of a Raptor.

We understand that the experiment has been a failure so far because the chickens failed to hatch. No doubt the researchers will try again, so until then, sleep tight and prepare for the killer chickens invasion.

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Some folks may remember when scientists grew a human ear on a rat. Well, this type of cross-species experiment is different, this according to the study published in the journal, Evolution. The plan here is to determine how evolution might work in the long-term. Basically, due to the relationships in DNA shared with dinosaurs and chickens, the un-hatched chickens experienced a reverse in evolution somewhat.

"By inhibiting early maturation of a leg of the chicken embryo, the leg reverts to the shape that dinosaurs' legs had," Alexander Vargas, one of the six researchers at the University of Chile told Christian Science Monitor.

For those who are not aware, the theory states that birds evolved from some dinosaurs. As we said, this is a theory, and as such, the attempt to grow dinosaur legs on chickens is a means of finding out if the theory holds any water at all. Until researchers have done a perfect job where the chickens don't die, we may never find out.

We understand that evidence found on fossils supports the theory that dinosaur fibula that was splinter-like. However, as time goes by and as the evolution process takes shape, the fibula becomes smaller, hence why chickens have smaller fibula.

"Fossil evidence supports the evolution of a fibula that was splinter-like, but almost as long as the tibia, before convergent evolution in different lineages of a strongly reduced fibula," researchers wrote in the study.

Despite none of the chickens managed to hatch, researchers claim one of the embryos had spiny legs that resembles that of a dinosaur's leg, according to a report from MSN. Is it conclusive? Not yet, because they must first be able to study live chickens.