India, Feb. 11 -- A fossil unearthed in Antarctica has provided evidence of the oldest known modern bird-a species closely related to today's waterfowl and roughly the size of a mallard duck. According to a recent study published in Nature, this fossil offers a glimpse into the evolutionary past of birds, revealing crucial insights about their survival and adaptation.

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The fossil, estimated to be around 68 million years old, belongs to Vegavis iaai, an extinct bird species that lived during the late Cretaceous period. This was the time when the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex dominated North America, just before a massive asteroid impact trig...