Tree-dwelling animals were the first to fly, new research suggests

 A six-legged, 25 gram robot has been fitted with flapping wings in order to gain an insight into the evolution of early birds and insects. The researchers, from the University of California, Berkley and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institut, proposed that testing the wings on robots could provide an insight into how they evolved in early birds. Fossils of animals closely related to dinosaurs, dating back further than when birds actually existed, show that feathers were present on all four limbs, suggesting that the original function of wings was to help animals glide when dropping from a height, just like a paper plane.  An alternative theory is that the first wings may have appeared in land-based animals, functioning as a mechanism to increase running speeds and then leading to take-offs and flying after. The aim of this research was to see how much of an advantage flapping wings give a running animal. This study has shown scientists how some species used their feathers at first way before they were able to fly.