All articles tagged with #dinosaurs
A nearly complete fossil of Kayrasaurus changliensis, discovered in northeastern China, identifies the largest known therizinosaur. This Late Cretaceous herbivore featured massive claws, a unique tooth arrangement, and a heavy build, distinguishing it from smaller, more agile relatives.
A newly described 57-centimeter microraptorine dinosaur, Norellraptor barsboldi, from Liaoning province, China, provides evidence that flight evolved independently in birds and non-avian dinosaurs. The fossil, dated to 145–100 million years ago, shares 30% of flight-related adaptations with birds but in a different sequence, supporting convergent evolution over a shared ancestral flight apparatus.
A newly described 57-centimeter microraptorine dinosaur from China, Norellraptor barsboldi, suggests that flight evolved independently in birds and feathered dinosaurs through different developmental pathways, challenging the idea of a shared ancestral flight apparatus.
A newly described 57-centimeter microraptorine dinosaur, Norellraptor barsboldi, found in China, shows that flight-related adaptations in birds and non-avian dinosaurs likely evolved independently. The fossil, dated to 100–145 million years ago, shares about 30% of anatomical changes with birds but in a different sequence, supporting convergent evolution over a shared ancestral flight apparatus.
Researchers describe a new 57-centimeter microraptorine dinosaur, Norellraptor barsboldi, from the Lower Cretaceous of China. The fossil exhibits flight-related adaptations similar to birds but evolved them independently. Analysis of bone histology and phylogenetic data indicates that flight adaptations in microraptorines and birds arose through different developmental and evolutionary pathways, rather than being inherited from a common ancestor.
A new study reveals Kayrasaurus changliensis, the largest known therizinosaurus, found in China. It features massive claws, a unique tooth arrangement, and a heavy build, but was likely a plant-eater.
Scientists used clumped isotope thermometry on three T. rex teeth to estimate a body temperature around 36.3°C (roughly elephant-level heat), implying warm-blooded, stable metabolism and the ability to roam across climates; comparisons with crocodilians and climate models suggest T. rex kept heat above its environment, though a seasonal bias can't be fully ruled out. The researchers aim to apply the method to other dinosaurs to map when such physiology evolved.
Scientists analyzed chemical patterns in three Tyrannosaurus rex teeth and estimated a core body temperature of about 97°F (36°C)—similar to humans and elephants—suggesting T. rex maintained a warm, stable physiology across varied environments. Published in Science Advances, the finding supports warm-blooded tendencies in dinosaurs and demonstrates a method to gauge temperature in ancient species.
Researchers analyzed a 66-million-year-old feather preserved in dinosaur dung and suggest that differences in feather insulation helped Neornithes—the modern birds—survive the asteroid-triggered winter, potentially explaining why this lineage endured while others did not; the dung also yielded hesperornithiform remains, illustrating an evolutionary bridge in feather type. Published in Current Biology, the study advocates CT-scanning more fossil dung to uncover additional clues about avian survival.
Archaeologists in North Dakota unearthed the first continuous trackway of a running Tyrannosaurus rex—four giant three-toed footprints spanning about 23 feet—from the 66-million-year-old Hell Creek Formation, found by a Colorado schoolteacher; the trace offers rare insight into T. rex locomotion and will be airlifted to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science for study.
Paleontologists report the first trackway of a full-grown Tyrannosaurus rex: four three-toed footprints spanning about 23 feet, dating to roughly 66.5 million years ago in southwestern North Dakota. The prints suggest the animal walked at about 3.5–4.5 mph; the tracks were found in 2025 on U.S. Forest Service land near Marmarth, scanned in 3D, and three of the prints will be airlifted to the Denver Museum for study. The site also yields tyrannosaur bones, including a juvenile nicknamed Teen Rex, helping illuminate T. rex movement at the end of the Cretaceous.
A hands-on preview frames Turok: Origins as a clean, arcade-style shooter designed for solo play or up to three players in drop-in co-op. Players choose from three classes (Cougar, Bison, Raven) and blast through dinosaur and alien adversaries with tight gunplay, straightforward missions, and memorable boss battles (e.g., Metal Maw). The game emphasizes short, pick-up sessions alongside more extended play and ships to Xbox Series X|S, offering a nostalgic yet modern take on the classic series.
A multinational team near Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba uncovered Musango matusadonaensis, a Late Triassic sauropodomorph about 4.5 meters long and 222 kg, named for the Matusadona region. This new find—the second major Zimbabwean dinosaur discovery after Musankwa sanyatiensi (2024)—highlights Africa’s underexplored fossil potential, with plans to return for further digs in 2027.
New Cassini-era measurements suggest Saturn’s rings are only tens to a few hundred million years old, far younger than the planet itself, meaning dinosaurs lived during a time when Saturn had no rings; the rings likely formed from a tidally disrupted icy body near Saturn’s Roche limit, though exact age remains debated and could lie anywhere in the tens of millions to a few hundred million-year range.
Riley Black, a professional paleontologist, weighs in on Anne Hathaway’s The End of Oak Street, arguing the film’s dinosaurs are a chaotic mishmash of periods with little scientific grounding, featuring oversized and implausible beasts despite scattered nods to real science; while not a documentary, the critique laments the neglect of paleo-accuracy and makes a case for more faithful dinosaur depictions in future films.