Thermal-Neural Collapse and the Avian Solid-State Bypass: The Skeletal Matrix as the Decisive Selection Factor for K-Pg Survival

Abstract The selective survival of the Aves clade through the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction is frequently attributed to stochastic factors such as body size or dietary plasticity. However, these models fail to address the neural latency and mechanical reality of survival in a post-impact winter. We propose the Thermal-Neural Collapse hypothesis: while non-avian dinosaurs relied exclusively on temperature-dependent chemical neural pathways that reached a functional bottleneck in the cold, the ancestors of modern birds utilized a Solid-State Bypass. By utilizing the mineralized skeletal matrix as a high-speed (3,000 meters per second), thermal-independent mechanical conductor, the Aves lineage maintained real-time environmental integration despite peripheral cooling. This paper demonstrates that this "bone conduction" sensory architecture was the primary selection factor for Information Integrity, enabling avian persistence through the K-Pg event while competitors suffered from terrestrial sensory blackout. This technical bulletin represents the primary theoretical framework for the Thermal-Neural Collapse hypothesis. Future versions will be appended as additional locomotor data is integrated.