Re: Origin of feathers

[Ronald Orenstein <ornstn@inforamp.net>]

>The fatal problem with the ground up theory of flight origins is simply that
>running doesn't generate enough energy long enough for a nearly wingless,
>nearly featherless animal to become airborne. Gravity does. Powered flight is
>the ultimate solution to the Falling Problem.

Or, as I have suggested to massive indifference from all, to the Leaping
Problem (or, how do I get that insect/frog/lizard/whatever that is just out of
reach?).  Of course, in a tree the Leaping Problem would also be a Falling
Problem as you want to get back to the branch you leapt from - but this
doesn't
mean that, if my scenario has any merit, an adaptive advantage to a higher
leap
necessarily only manifested itself in trees. It could have, but it could have
done so on the ground and later conferred an advantage to tree dwellers.
Thuis
in my scenario you can't tell ground-up from trees-down, nor does it matter.
--
Ronald I. Orenstein                           Phone: (905) 820-7886
International Wildlife Coalition              Fax/Modem: (905) 569-0116
1825 Shady Creek Court                 
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 3W2          mailto:ornstn@inforamp.net