Dinosaur origins: Birds evolved from small theropod dinosaurs, sharing traits like hollow bones, three-toed limbs, and feathers. Archaeopteryx link: The iconic transitional fossil shows both reptilian ...

An analysis of two theropod dinosaur fossils has shown that they had a type of carpal bone (pisiform) in their wrists—a bone considered important to flight in birds. This discovery by a team of ...

Reconstruction of a Late Triassic landscape (approximately 215 million years ago). A lagerpetid, a close relative of pterosaurs, is perched on a rock, observing pterosaurs flying overhead. Tübingen, ...

An ancient archaeopteryx fossil is offering new insight into the early evolution of birds from dinosaurs. Dating back around 150 million years, this remarkable discovery is helping scientists ...

A new study led by a researcher from the School of Zoology and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History at Tel Aviv University examined dinosaur fossils preserved with their feathers and found that ...

Most bird wings are far from aerodynamically optimal, suggesting evolution often settles for “good enough” instead of perfect ...

Scientists with the Field Museum of Chicago have discovered that a pigeon-sized Archaeopteryx fossil in its collection displays an array of features previously unknown when it comes to the earliest ...

Mesozoic Pompeii -- The evolution of an airframe -- The origin of birds -- Archaeopteryx : an ancient wing -- Protoavis : a precocious Triassic bird -- Basal avialans : the long-tailed birds -- ...

Flight is a rare skill in the animal world. Among vertebrates, it evolved only three times: in bats, birds, and the long-extinct pterosaurs. Pterosaurs were the pioneers, taking to the skies more than ...

For years, the evolution of flight seemed fairly straightforward. Dinosaurs developed feathers, with some learning to glide, ...