Southampton Study Helps Solve How Earliest Birds Took Flight

2026 study solves a 150-million-year-old mystery: Scientists discover how the first bird learned to fly

A new August 2026 study may have solved the long-standing mystery of how the first birds took flight. Researchers from the University of Southampton and Paris’s National Natural History Museum used 3D models and billions of simulations to study Archaeopteryx, which lived around 150 million years ago. Their findings suggest it could not launch like modern birds, but instead used rapid two-legged jumps, relying heavily on its legs before transitio…

Southampton study helps solve how earliest birds took flight

Early flight may have been powered by a series of leaps rather than a single jump, research has found.

Palaeontology breakthrough finally uncovers how 'first bird' learnt to fly 150 million years ago

Scientists at the University of Southampton have solved a long-standing puzzle about how the earliest birds managed to get airborne 150 million years ago, despite retaining numerous dinosaur-like traits.Their research into the archaeopteryx reveals the creature relied on a series of hops to launch itself into the sky.The team characterised the technique as "hop, hop and away."The study, conducted in collaboration with the National Natural Histor…

The first bird didn't leap into the Sky. It hopped, like a Crow

Archaeopteryx may have needed several hops, not one big jump, to take flight Continue reading The first bird didn’t leap into the Sky. It hopped, like a Crow on Tech Explorist.

Scientists May Have Finally Solved the Mystery of How the First Bird Took Flight

For more than 150 million years, the question of how the earliest birds got off the ground has puzzled scientists. A new study offers a surprisingly grounded answer: Archaeopteryx may have taken flight through a series of powerful jumps before its wings took over. The research, titled “Hop, hop and away: On the take-off of Archaeopteryx using a multiple leaping mechanism,” examines how the prehistoric animal could have achieved the speed needed …