Archaeopteryx is the oldest known bird, but its anatomy tells a strange story: no keeled breastbone, limited shoulder mobility, none of the specialized architecture modern birds use for a single explosive takeoff leap. So how did it actually get off the ground?A recent study aims to answer exactly that, entitled - Hop, hop and away: On the take-off of Archaeopteryx using a multiple leaping mechanismI had a conversation with the authors of the study: Erik Meilak, Neil Gostling, and Markus Heller. Listen to us chat about the "ground-up" vs "trees-down" hypotheses, technical aspects of their study and results, and a little bit about evolution in general. I had a lot of fun putting this episode together, and I hope to work with them again!

Read the paper HERE

Support me, chat with me, do all the things:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TotalDino

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/2S9sfKA4DKhttps://www.TotalDino.com

I joined up with Erik Crawford from Prehistoric Life Podcast to chat about paleoart, cladograms, and all kinds of other dinosaur-related things!

Some parts include on-screen visuals, so it might be easier to watch at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy8yqu_D5XA

Support me, chat with me, do all the things:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TotalDino

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/2S9sfKA4DK

Let's take an "Ancestor's Tale" style dive into the Theropod family tree!

Support me, chat with me, do all the things:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TotalDino

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/2S9sfKA4DK