![PTERO-SOAR](https://cdn.magzter.com/1441816897/1697173953/articles/9fbujk5IN1697275245274/PTEROSOAR.jpg)
They ruled the skies for 150 million years, until about 65 million year ago. We've only seen them fly in movies like Jurassic World, but extinct flying reptiles called pterosaurs (Greek for "wing lizard") stand out for their evolutionary success. Today, paleontologists like Kevin Padian at the University of California, Berkeley, gush about these flying animals. He says, "Pterosaurs were just the coolest things that were ever in the air."
Now, pterosaurs may help us humans soar to new heights. They're inspiring the design of remarkable new aircraft like none seen before.
Don't Call Them 'Dinosaurs'
"Technically, pterosaurs are not members of the dinosaur family," explains Liz MartinSilverstone. She's a paleobiologist at England's University of Bristol. "They are a related kind of reptile." Pterosaurs went extinct at the same time as dinosaurs. "Yet pterosaurs were far from failures," Martin-Silverstone says. "They were the first vertebrates [animals with backbones] to fly. They flew 60 million years before birds." Some pterosaurs flew only short distances, while others may have been long-distance flyers. Some even had webbed feet, likely to take off and land on water. "Pterosaurs ranged in size from as small as a dove to wingspans of 10 or 11 meters [33 to 36 feet], as big as an airplane-a much greater size range than birds," Martin-Silverstone says. They were the equivalent in size to a range of flying devices that we humans design today, from small hand-held drones to private planes.
Denne historien er fra November/December 2023-utgaven av Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
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Denne historien er fra November/December 2023-utgaven av Muse Science Magazine for Kids.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![Who's Your Cousin?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11355/1633847/ASHqA7muv1710505048312/crp_Great-apes-Chimpanzee-Gorilla.jpg)
Who's Your Cousin?
The great apes are among the most popular animals in most zoos. Their actions, facial expressions, and family life remind us so much of ourselves. Have you ever wondered, though, how we might look to them?
![Is it possible to die of boredom?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11355/1633847/ZzB-iZQgF1710508711802/IS-IT-POSSIBLE-TO-DIE-OF-BOREDOM.jpg)
Is it possible to die of boredom?
To figure out if we can die of boredom, we first have to understand what boredom is. For help, we called James Danckert, a psychologist who studies boredom at the University of Waterloo in Canada.
![THE PROBLEM WITH PALM OIL](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11355/1633847/NE6B5peNi1710508405429/THE-PROBLEM-WITH-PALM-OIL.jpg)
THE PROBLEM WITH PALM OIL
Palm oil is all around you. It’s in sugary snacks like cookies and candy bars. It’s in lipstick and shampoo and pet food.
![SERGE WICH](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11355/1633847/-jLx5_Ovb1710508082294/SERGE-WICH.jpg)
SERGE WICH
Serge Wich’s favorite days at work are spent out in the forest, studying orangutans in Sumatra and Borneo or chimpanzees in Tanzania.
![ELODIE FREYMANN](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11355/1633847/rxYkBeZAq1710507644261/ELODIE-FREYMANN.jpg)
ELODIE FREYMANN
When you’re feeling sick, it probably doesn’t occur to you to try eating tree bark.
![Guardians of the Forest](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11355/1633847/3EFkZEWa51710506719598/GUARDIANS-OF-THE-FOREST.jpg)
Guardians of the Forest
EARLY, MAKESHIFT WILDLIFE DRONES HELPED TO DETECT AND PROTECT ORANGUTANS.
![APE ANTICS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11355/1633847/oR6tFGQgh1710507151473/APE-ANTICS.jpg)
APE ANTICS
The Whirling World of primate play
![Dr. Ape Will See You Now](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11355/1633847/Mp7BNzq0N1710506413948/DR-APE-WILL-SEE-YOU-NOW.jpg)
Dr. Ape Will See You Now
HUMANS AREN’T THE ONLY PRIMATES THAT USE MEDICATION.
![THE LEFT OVERS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11355/1633847/R-dA4gR5q1710505795587/THE-LEFT-OVERS.jpg)
THE LEFT OVERS
A lot has happened for modern humans to get to this point. We lost most of our hair, learned how to make tools, established civilizations, sent a person to the Moon, and invented artificial intelligence. Whew! With all of these changes, our bodies have changed, too. It’s only taken us about six million years.
![SO, WHAT IS A PRIMATE?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/11355/1633847/adJ6Z9jpO1710505380650/SO-WHAT-IS-A-PRIMATE.jpg)
SO, WHAT IS A PRIMATE?
What do you have in common with the aye-aye, sifaka, siamang, and potto? If you said your collarbone, you re probably a primatologist—a person who studies primates. If you’re not, read on.