Search

The article discusses studies of animal flight that are inspiring the design and construction of small drones. Topics include research by Ty Hedrick, Andrew Biewener, and colleagues of the maneuverability of cliff swallows as they battle for territory, the AIRFOILS (Animal-Inspired Robust Flight with Outer and Inner Loop Strategies) project by a team led by aerospace engineer Kristi Morgansen, a study of hawk moth hovering by Tom Daniel and colleagues using light emitting diodes (LEDs).

The article discusses a study conducted by paleontologist Alexander Dececchi and colleagues, published in October 22, 2020 issue of the journal "iScience," which reveals that only two dinosaur species are known to have had wings made of stretched skinlike bats, but they were capable of only limited gliding between trees. It is noted that two bat-winged species, Yi qi and Ambopteryx longibrachium, lived about 160 million years ago and had different wing structures from the feathered fliers.

The article discusses the discovery of pterosaur Hamipterus tianshanensis's fossil eggs in northwestern China, referencing an article coauthored by paleontologist Xiaolin Wang in the December 1, 2017 issue of the "Science" journal. An overview of the anatomy of the pterosaur embryos, including the lack of development of the wing bone deltopectoral crest, which allows them to fly, is provided.

The article focuses on research by paleontologist Michael Habib on October 26, 2016 suggesting ancient birds and some nonavian dinosaurs used their legs and wings to launch into the air. It states scientists believed for a while early birds launched themselves into flight using trees to get an altitude assist and slowly evolved larger wings and the ability to flap them. It mentions researchers examined 37 different winged dinosaur genera from the Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous epochs.

The article reports that research on how bats fly reveals that they generate lift and thrust with their wings much differently than birds do. Researcher Anders Hedenstrom of Lund University in Sweden studied bat aerodynamics at low and high speeds, measuring the strength and rotation of eddies with laser pulses. Researchers Douglas R. Warrick and Sharon Swartz comment.

The article reports that Archaeopteryx, the earliest-known bird, may have flown by using four wings. Scientist Nick Longrich, who examined Archaeopteryx fossils, believes that the bird used its feathered hind legs as small auxiliary wings, providing extra lift that made it more nimble in the air as it flew.

The article reports on a presentation at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting held October 20, 2012 in Raleigh, North Carolina by paleontologists Justin Hall, Michael Habib, and Luis Chiappe on the reconstruction of Microraptor gui four-winged dinosaur fossils found in China. They propose that the hind wings were tucked into the body during flight unless needed for added agility for banking into sharp turns in the Microraptor forest habitat.

The article discusses the results of a study published in the June 19, 2012 issue of periodical "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," by engineer David Hu and colleagues about how mosquitoes survive collisions with raindrops. Topics include how mosquitoes' small mass allows them to be caught by falling water droplets and how mosquitoes are able to break away from droplets before impact with the ground.

The article reports on a species of feathered dinosaur from China that paleontologists named Microraptor gui. A series of long feathers on the creature's legs and feet led those scientists to speculate that the dinosaur splayed its hind limbs to create an extra, hind set of wings. Scientists have come up with a four-winged flight posture that would place the secondary wings below and slightly behind the main wings, just like those in aerobatic biplanes.

The article discusses aircraft design. Taking cues from seagulls, a bird-size prototype aircraft morphs its wings to navigate cluttered environments. The ability to shift its wings between an M shape for cruising and landing and a W shape for dives and turns bodes well for tasks in tight spots, from tracking wildlife in canyons to spying on an urban enemy, says Mujahid Abdulrahim of the University of Florida in Gainesville. By twisting its wings, the half-kilogram electric flyer can maneuver swiftly, executing three rolls a second, Abdulrahim notes. He and his colleagues made the prototype, in line with a trend toward the morphing of even full-scale aircraft (SN: 12/06/03), by stretching plastic over a carbon-composite frame. They plan to share details of the aircraft next month in Albuquerque at a conference on unmanned aerial vehicles.

The article looks at research on Archaeopteryx which is considered the world's oldest known bird. A detailed X-ray scan of the fossilized braincase of an Archaeopteryx shows that several features of the ancient feathered creature's brain and inner ear were highly developed and similar to those of modern birds. Timothy B. Rowe, a paleontologist at the University of Texas, and his colleagues used a computerized tomography scanner to map the portion of the skull that houses the brain of the Archaeopteryx specimen from the Natural History Museum of London. Examining bulges as well as fine markings on the skull's inner surface, Angela C. Milner, a paleontologist at the museum, and her coworkers reconstructed the overall anatomy of the ancient creature's brain. Archaeopteryx had keen senses of hearing, balance, and spatial perception. Such attributes would be critical for flying. Pterosaurs, a lineage of flying reptiles that ruled the skies between 235 million and 65 million years ago and is unrelated to Archaeopteryx, had similar enhancements of the brain and inner ear. Paleontologists can compare Archaeopteryx's anatomy with that of the reptiles that preceded it and look for patterns of brain and inner ear evolution.

Focuses on a study conducted by zoologists from Princeton University which compared the energy expenditure of birds in flight and stopovers during their migration. Methodology of the study; Findings of the study.

Reports that a team of Chinese paleontologists discovered two nearly complete fossils of a small, feathered dinosaur that they dubbed Microraptor gui. Belief of the scientists that the species had four wings and that it represents an intermediate on the path to birds; Size and description of the fossil; Possibility that the Microraptor gui glided from tree to tree like flying squirrels; Assymetrical feathers on the Microraptor gui's limbs; Scientists who are not convinced that the creature used its hind limbs as wings.

Announces the discovery of an insect that displays wings researchers say probably reappeared after its ancestors went through an era of winglessness. Evolution and complex traits; Stick-insect case study; Reference to a study conducted at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah; Implications for the study of evolution; Use of DNA data in uncovering this discovery.

Shares results of a study of a fossil which shows that a reptile from the late Permian period developed a unique flying apparatus. The creature having evolved completely new bones to spread wings made of skin; The animal, called Coelurosauravus, as the oldest known flying vertebrate; The report by Hans-Dieter Sues, Eberhard Frey, and Wolfgang Munk as presented in the March 7, 1997 `Science.'