Kat sends along this very cool BBC story:
An initial assessment of Microraptor fossils from China suggested the animal spread its legs out laterally and maintained its wings in a tandem pattern, in a similar manner to dragonflies.
Now, researchers Sankar Chatterjee and R Jack Templin offer an alternative hypothesis.
Their evaluations of the limb joints and feather orientation indicate that a tandem wing design would neither have achieved suitable lift, nor enabled Microraptor to walk on the ground easily.
Instead, the scientists report that its hind legs were positioned below the body, in a bi-plane fashion.
Every time I think I’m as impressed with biotic diversity as I can be, life comes along and whomps me upside the head.
Those extra wngs were the legs, spyder! Endless variations on a basic tetrapod body plan!
Did you happen to read the story in Wired about the new killer bug that’s killing troops from Iraq? It learned very quickly how to evade our most powerful antibiotics, using, of course, techniques observed by Darwin.
I saved it to use whenever I hear someone say they don’t believe in evolution. (I actually heard that for the first time the other day. I was so shocked I couldn’t talk for a minute. Perhaps that was the best reaction.)