Birds Evolved From Dinosaurs

Five new fossils from northeastern China were found which add weight to the idea that birds descended from dinosaurs. According to The Guardian, the fossils are older than previous discoveries, and date from 151 to 164 million years ago. The specimens all show feathers or feather-like structures, including one fossil that has four wings, lots of plumage, and feathered feet. The discoveries suggest that there may have been a four-wing transition stage between dinos and birds, and will shed light on the mechanics of flight in early birds. On Friday, Xu Xing, who worked on the discovery, will detail his findings at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontologists.