*A new fossil discovered in China provides new insights into the evolution of flight in dinosaurs, but it also raises new questions.*

The fossil, which is described in a study published in the journal *Nature*, is of a small, feathered dinosaur that lived about 160 million years ago. The dinosaur, named *Xiaotingia zhengi*, is about the size of a sparrow and has long, feathered arms and legs.

*Xiaotingia* is a member of a group of dinosaurs called scansoriopterygids. Scansoriopterygids are thought to be closely related to the ancestors of birds, and they provide important evidence about the evolution of flight in dinosaurs.

The new fossil of *Xiaotingia* shows that scansoriopterygids had a number of features that were previously thought to be unique to birds. These features include long, feathered arms and legs, a wishbone, and a sternum that is shaped like a keel.

These features suggest that scansoriopterygids were capable of gliding or flapping their wings. However, it is not clear whether scansoriopterygids were capable of sustained flight.

The new fossil of *Xiaotingia* also raises new questions about the evolution of flight in dinosaurs. For example, it is not clear why scansoriopterygids developed long, feathered arms and legs if they were not capable of sustained flight.

Additionally, it is not clear why scansoriopterygids went extinct, while other dinosaurs, such as birds, survived and thrived.

The new fossil of *Xiaotingia* provides important new insights into the evolution of flight in dinosaurs, but it also raises new questions that will need to be answered by future research.