Âé¶¹´«Ã½

On the desire of wings

By Max Glaskin and Sally Cranfield

6 April 2002

HUMANS have won the wooden spoon in the sack race of evolution. We are born without wings. It’s a crucial omission and we are making the environment pay for it.

We like to think we’re the bee’s knees of the natural world but we’re nothing more than bumbling flatfoots. That’s why kookaburras laugh and midges torment us. We are grounded for life and, in our frustration, we’re wrecking the planet.

Wings might seem just fun and frippery, but they would also save the environment. If we could fly, we would not be trampling ecosystems underfoot. Natural habitats that now get…

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