GoKawiilFossil of feathered dinosaur Norellraptor barsboldi suggests flight evolved multiple times
Researchers described a complete fossil of Norellraptor barsboldi, a microraptorine dinosaur showing feather traces on its limbs and tail. The team found that flight-related adaptations seen in this group also appeared independently in the bird lineage Avialae, but developed in a different sequence. The findings were published in Nature Communications.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The differing order of adaptations implies, according to the researchers, that the two lineages did not share a single developmental path toward flight, challenging the idea of one unified origin for avian flight. This could reshape how paleontologists model the evolutionary steps leading to powered flight in birds and their dinosaur relatives.
- A new fossil, Norellraptor barsboldi, preserves feather traces on fore and hind limbs and tail.
- Flight-related traits appeared in both microraptorines and early birds but in different developmental sequences.
- The finding supports multiple independent origins of flight-related adaptations rather than a single shared lineage.
Source: nature.com — Flora Graham, 2026-10-02
Published there as: “Daily briefing: Can you name every female Nobel laureate?”
Read the original report → The summary and analysis above are GoKawiil's own, written from reporting by the source above. Facts and quotes belong to the original publisher.