How bats got off the ground (online article)

[Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>]

Not strictly dinosaurs, but may be of interest to bird or pterosaur workers:

http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2006/417/2

Bats are shy creatures, especially during the daytime, when they hide in 
caves, trees, and even under bridges. Yet when it comes to Darwinian success, 
they are anything but low-profile: Bats make up one out of every five 
mammalian species. And they are innovative as well, being the only mammals to 
fly under their own power. A new study pins this airy achievement on a bone 
growth gene, whose boosted expression may have literally helped bats sprout 
wings and take off...

[the picture of the bat embryo is particularly interesting]

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Dann Pigdon
GIS / Archaeologist         http://heretichides.soffiles.com
Melbourne, Australia        http://www.geocities.com/dannsdinosaurs
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