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Article: Study suggests missing link that explains how dinosaurs learned to fly.
- Article from:
- Life Science Weekly
- Article date:
- February 3, 2003
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2003 FEB 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Two-legged dinosaurs may have used their forelimbs as wing-like structures to propel themselves rapidly up steep inclines long before they took to the skies, reports a University of Montana researcher.
The new theory adds a middle step that may link two current and opposing explanations for how reptiles evolved into flying birds.
According to Kenneth Dial, author of the report, the transition from ground travel to flight may have required a "ramp-up" phase in which rapid movement of the animals' front appendages actually forced its body downward to gain more foot traction as it made its way up increasingly ...