Pterosaurs and other fossil flyers to better engineer human-made flight
Wednesday, April 15, 2020 - 13:40
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Pterosaurs were the largest animals ever to fly. They soared the skies for 160 million years -- much longer than any species of modern bird. Despite their aeronautic excellence, these ancient flyers have largely been overlooked in the pursuit of bioinspired flight technologies. Researchers outline why and how the physiology of fossil flyers could provide ancient solutions to modern flight problems, like aerial stability and self-launch.