paleonet Origin of flight

["Klaus Ebel" <klaus@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear paleonetters,

sorry that I must make this statement, however, fossil hunters and paleontologists are very restricted concerning their abilities to determine the origin  of flight. They only can derive their tales (sensu Steven J. Gould) from fossil remainders, but they cannot see the problems restricting an evolutionary path or making it entirely impossible. An evolution is never accidental, and it is an old and erroneous myth that flight is either possible from ground to air or from trees to ground, unfortunatety completely ridiculous. Fossil remainders per se cannot reveal unequivocally evolutionary lines, though of course they are not in contrast to the truth. Physical conditions clearly dominate any evolution and must be taken into account to arrive at reliable results. As a experienced expert in aerodynamics and flight mechanics I have done so (www.ebel-k.de). There is a direct evolutionary line from unidentified aquatic precursors via long-tailed rhamphorhynchoids to pterodactyloids, as well as in another line to birds via Archaeopteryx and Alulavis hoyasi.

Klaus