Look at the flying dinosaur robot - it will allow you to restore the evolution of the wings in birds

It is believed that modern birds originated from several species of dinosaurs, and the transitional form between them

served archeopteryx. This creature the size of a crow, which lived about 150 million years ago, combined features of birds and reptiles: along with its wings and beak, it also had sharp teeth and a tail. Scientists believe that Archeopteryx could not fully fly - he could only jump and soar like a pheasant. It is believed that the ability to soar became an essential element for a full flight.

The researchers decided to test this hypothesis - theycreated a robot, the shape and movements of which repeat the shape of Caudipterix - a larger peacock-sized animal, which is the earliest known flightless dinosaur with wings.

The flapping wing movement developed passively andnaturally, when a dinosaur ran on the ground. Although this movement could not lift a dinosaur into the air, we saw that flapping wings could have evolved earlier than planning.

Ching-Shan Zhao, lead author of the study

Previously, engineers from Humboldt University andPolytechnic school of Lausanne using computer simulation and four-legged robot recreated the gait of one of the first reptiles on Earth - Orobates pabsti. She lived on our planet almost 260 million years ago.