About 136,000 years ago, the island of Aldabra in the Indian Ocean flooded, wiping out the Aldabra rail, the species of flightless bird that lived there. Eventually, dry land reemerged, and the Aldabra’s winged progenitor, the white-throated rail, flew back. And then, over another 20,000 years or so, those birds gradually lost their wings—there are no predators on the island—and the Aldabra rail evolved, independently, all over again. If you’re patient, we’ll explain what this has to do with
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