To develop wings is an important evolutionary decision for an insect. Wings are part of central adaptation mechanisms allowing insects to escape predators, exploit scattered resources, and disperse into new niches — resulting in radiations into vast numbers of species. Although insects can subsequently evolve to wingless forms, an evolutionary reversal from a flightless insect to a volant form has been thought unlikely. In the January 16 Nature, Michael F. Whiting and colleagues at Brigham Young University, Utah, USA, show that stick insects (Order Phasmatodea) diversified as wingless insects and that wings were derived secondarily, perhaps on many occasions (Nature, 421: 264-267, January 16, 2003).