"Speculative Theory: Insect Wings Evolved from Gills"

A team of researchers has proposed a wild hypothesis suggesting that insect wings may have evolved from gills, based on the analysis of prehistoric fossils of flying insects from 300 million years ago. The discovery implies that some of the first winged insects were aquatic or semi-aquatic as larvae, challenging the traditional assumption that their ancestors were terrestrial. The study provides support for the idea that wings evolved from precursors of ancestral gills, but more evidence is needed to confirm this hypothesis, which is still in its early stages.