Tiny Fossil Could Be Oldest Known Insect

A tiny fossil discovered in the 1920s and then largely ignored has been identified as the oldest known insect, scientists report. The discovery pushes back the origins of Earth's most prolific life form some 20 million years.

The new analysis of the 400-million-year-old specimen also suggests that it may have had wings, hinting that winged insects -- and insects in general -- arose much earlier than had been presumed.