And a potentially important one, because the specimen may shed light on one of the hottest topics in paleontology, the evolutionary transformation of dinosaurs into birds. By coincidence, a different Chinese team reported in Science last week the discovery of a bird from the Early Cretaceous, Protopteryx fengningensis, with primitive feathers that seem halfway between reptilian scales and modern bird feathers. Similarly, Microraptor’s teeth have features, such as a narrow “waist” between the root and crown, that seem to place them midway between birds and non-avian theropods. Its foot is birdlike, with an elongated toe that could have been used for grasping branches; one leading theory of the evolution of flight is that it began among tree-dwelling animals looking for a better way down than falling. “It adds to the enormous pool of data we have supporting the idea that birds evolved from meat-eating dinosaurs,” says Chiappe.
