Background The re-evolution of complex characters is generally considered impossible, yet,
studies of recent years have provided several examples of phenotypic reversals shown to …

The concept that complex ancestral traits can never be recovered after their loss is still
widely accepted, despite phylogenetic and molecular approaches suggest instances where …

The evolutionary transition between winglessness and a full-winged morphology requires
selective advantage for intermediate forms. Conversely, repeated secondary wing …

In a recent issue of Nature, Whiting et al.(2003) report a surprising and novel result: the re-
evolution of insect wings from wingless ancestors in Phasmatodea (stick insects). If true, this …

Major morphological structures are sometimes produced not once, but twice. For example,
stick insects routinely shed legs to escape a predator or tangled moult, and these legs are …

One of the most fascinating Bauplan transitions in the animal kingdom was the invention of
insect wings, a change that also contributed to the success and enormous diversity of this …

The evolution of wings is heralded as the most important event in the diversification of
insects, yet flight-wing loss has occurred in nearly all pterygote insect orders. Flight loss is …

The nymphal stages of P alaeozoic insects differ significantly in morphology from those of
their modern counterparts. Morphological details for some previously reported species have …

Evolution: Have Wings Come, Gone and Come Again?: Current Biology Skip to Main Content
Advertisement Current Biology This journal offers authors two options (open access or …

Highlights•Insect wing origin has been debated for over two centuries.•These debates
resulted in two prominent hypotheses (tergal and pleural).•Evo-devo studies have started …