{
  "id": 14948649,
  "title": "Sorry, Darwin: Chinese fossil shows that not all early birds evolved to fly",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/sorry-darwin-chinese-fossil-shows-that-not-all-early-birds-evolved-to",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-16T12:00:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3371125/sorry-darwin-chinese-fossil-shows-not-all-early-birds-evolved-fly"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Chinese scientists have unearthed a fossil of the earliest known flightless bird, offering compelling evidence that not all early birds evolved to take to the skies. The discovery could also challenge long-held assumptions – including ideas dating back to evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin – that flightlessness in birds arose only as a secondary adaptation after earlier species had mastered…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Reuters Business via SCMP",
        "title": "Sorry, Darwin: Chinese fossil shows that not all early birds evolved to fly",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/sorry-darwin-chinese-fossil-shows-that-not-all-early-birds-evolved-to-14950180",
        "published": "2026-10-16T12:00:08.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}