How the ‘first bird’ leapt into the sky and soared above the dinosaurs

By Neil J. Gostling, Associate Professor in Evolution and Palaeobiology, University of Southampton

Archaeopteryx is an icon of evolution and is often called the first bird. Scientists have long debated just how it took off from the ground but a recent study published by my colleagues and I has brought new insights to the mystery.

Our study compared Archaeopteryx with the anatomy of modern birds, and our findings suggest it generated the force needed to take off by taking several jumps forwards.

Archaeopteryx, a fossil uncovered from the Jurassic rocks of Germany, dates…

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