Carl T. Bergstrom on Nostr: How did birds evolve wings? A partial wing is of no use for flying, but natural ...
How did birds evolve wings?
A partial wing is of no use for flying, but natural selection can't plan ahead and allow a species to gradually evolve toward wings that are actually useful for flying.
Evolutionary biologists suspect that wings originally evolved for some purpose other than flight, and then later were coopted for flying.
Researchers have proposed a wide range of possible original purposes for wings, ranging from thermoregulation to knocking down insects to running up hills.
A partial wing is of no use for flying, but natural selection can't plan ahead and allow a species to gradually evolve toward wings that are actually useful for flying.
Evolutionary biologists suspect that wings originally evolved for some purpose other than flight, and then later were coopted for flying.
Researchers have proposed a wide range of possible original purposes for wings, ranging from thermoregulation to knocking down insects to running up hills.