dinosaur

January 18, 20244 min readSometime between C.E. 1100 and 1700, a Massospondylus dinosaur bone was found and carried to a rock shelter in Lesotho, marking the earliest known human discovery of a dinosaur fossilBy Julien Benoit, Cameron Penn-Clarke, Charles Helm & The Conversation USMassospondylus carinatus neotype specimen. Credit: Kimberley E. J. ChapelleThe following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research.Credit for discovering the first dinosaur…

A family of Thescelosaurus emerges from safety to forage in the forests of the Hell Creek Formation, 66 million years ago. Credit: Anthony HutchingsA CT scan of a lesser-known, herbivorous dinosaur’s skull shows that although it might not have been particularly “brainy,” it possessed a distinctive set of characteristics similar to those seen in present-day animals that live partially underground, including a super sense of smell and outstanding balance. The work is the first to link a specific sensory fingerprint with…

One of the biggest mysteries of the universe is why there is a universe at all. According to particle physics, the big bang should have created equal amounts of matter and antimatter, and they should have immediately canceled each other out. But here we are! We're lucky enough to exist, and we get to live in a time when fundamental questions can be asked and potentially answered scientifically. Physicist Luke Caldwell narrates how he and his colleagues made the most precise measurement ever of a property of electrons that…

Dinosaurs have quite an amazing legacy. They walked on Earth between 245 and 66 million years ago, yet we still talk about them today! They’re the subjects of countless films, TV shows, books, video games and amusement parks. And despite how lucky we are that we never lived in a time where we had to encounter dinos in real life, many of us love to commemorate these creatures with adorable tattoos!Bored Panda has scoured the internet to find photos of the most impressive, creative and cute dinosaur tattoos and gathered…

January 11, 20244min readA dinosaur skull first discovered in the 1980s was originally catalogued as a T. rex. Now some scientists argue it represents a new species of tyrannosaur and could shed light on where the massive animals originatedBy Meghan BartelsReconstruction of Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis. Revisiting a partial dinosaur skull first discovered in the 1980s has some scientists convinced that what was originally catalogued as a Tyrannosaurus rex in fact represents the closest relative of the “king of dinosaurs”…

Dinosaurs’ reign on Earth ended explosively (and then dustily, as we’ll mention in this story) when an asteroid slammed into Earth some 66 million years ago. But the dinosaurs—and the diverse ancient creatures they shared the planet with—have kept many secrets locked away in their fossilized remains, secrets which…Read more... Dinosaurs’ reign on Earth ended explosively (and then dustily, as we’ll mention in this story) when an asteroid slammed into Earth some 66 million years ago. But the dinosaurs—and the diverse…

A team of paleontologists revealed a remarkable fossil: a young tyrannosaurid with the hindlimbs of two year-old dinosaurs in its stomach. In other words, this theropod was chowing down on baby legs.Zillow Says You’ll Buy Your Next House With… AI? | AI UnlockedThe fossil is the first example of in-situ stomach contents in a tyrannosaur, the team said. Besides offering a unique window into the macabre reality of life in the Cretaceous Period, the fossil provides insights into the predation strategy of some of the most…

A study has revealed that over 210 million years ago, ancient animals possibly possessed bird-like feet. This discovery comes from an analysis of Trisauropodiscus footprints found in southern Africa, dating back to the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic Periods. These footprints, which differ from any known fossil animals of that era, suggest that either early dinosaurs or other reptiles may have evolved bird-like feet, predating the earliest bird fossils by 60 million years. (Artistic concept artwork.) Credit:…

Primal Rage maybe wasn’t the best fighting game to hit arcades in 1994, but I have some fond memories of playing it with friends. I wish we could get some sort of re-release, or maybe even a release of the canceled (but apparently finished) Primal Rage 2. But we’re not talking about Primal Rage. We’re here to look at DinoRex. Released by Taito in 1992, DinoRex has a lot in common with Primal Rage. There are dinosaurs animated by stop-motion and humans in the foreground. I would use that same description for both games…

Recent research suggests that volcanic eruptions, causing global cooling, significantly contributed to the dinosaurs’ extinction, challenging the long-held belief that a meteorite was the sole cause. McGill researchers challenge the current understanding of dinosaur extinction by unearthing a link between volcanic eruptions and climate change. What wiped out the dinosaurs? A meteorite plummeting to Earth is only part of the story, a new study suggests. Climate change triggered by massive volcanic eruptions may have…