New dinosaur species, the 'Dragon Prince', discovered — what did it look like?
Representational image
Hold onto your fossil hats, dinosaur lovers—there's a new prehistoric rockstar in town, and it goes by a name that sounds like it just flew out of a fantasy novel. Say hello to Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, nicknamed the 'Dragon Prince.
' And yes, it's just as cool as it sounds.
The findings have been published in
Nature
.
So, what exactly is Khankhuuluu?
This ancient predator stomped around what's now Mongolia about 86 million years ago, way before the iconic Tyrannosaurus rex came on the scene. Khankhuuluu was no tiny lizard—but it definitely wasn't the hulking beast T. rex turned out to be. Think of it as the lean, speedy older cousin that paved the way for future dinosaur royalty. It weighed 750 kilos.
The wild part? Scientists actually found Khankhuuluu's fossils back in the 1970s, but they thought it was part of a different species. Fast forward a few decades and some super high-tech scans later, and—boom!—turns out we've had a brand-new species hiding in plain sight this whole time. Talk about a plot twist in the fossil record.
What did it look like?
Unlike the bulky, bone-crushing T. rex, Khankhuuluu was all about agility. It had a slim build, long legs made for sprinting, and a narrow snout packed with sharp teeth—perfect for snapping up smaller prey like oviraptorosaurs and ornithomimosaurs.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Men Over 50: Frequent Urination & Weak Stream? Do this Before Bed
healthydayscare
Click Here
Undo
Picture a fast, fierce dino ninja with a serious attitude.
"'Prince' refers to this being an early, smaller tyrannosauroid," explained Prof Darla Zelenitsky, a palaeontologist from the University of Calgary in Canada told BBC. Tyrannosauroids are the superfamily of carnivorous dinosaurs that walked on two legs.
"They were these really small, fleet-footed predators that lived in the shadows of other apex predatory dinosaurs," PhD student Jared Voris, who led the research with Prof Zelenitsky, told the media.
They added that Khankhuuluu probably weighed around 750 kilos (about 1,650 pounds). Not bad for an early tyrannosaur, right?
A dino with a passport?
Besides being a missing puzzle piece in the tyrannosaur family tree, Khankhuuluu is also helping scientists figure out where these dinos came from and how they moved around. The new theory? Tyrannosaurs may have started in Asia, made their way to North America, and then boomeranged back to Asia.
This epic dino road trip might explain the range of species we've dug up across continents.
Why this matters
The discovery of the 'Dragon Prince' is more than just another cool name—it's a reminder that our planet's past is full of surprises waiting to be uncovered. Every fossil, every re-examined bone, tells a deeper story about where life came from and how it evolved.
So next time someone mentions the mighty T. rex, throw a little respect to its slimmer, faster, older cousin—Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, the prehistoric royalty that sprinted so the king could roar.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
India's second urbanisation: It's confirmed, Keeladi is as old as the Gangetic plains; radiocarbon dating traces site's origins to 580BCE
The Keeladi site in Madurai has revealed yet another chapter in Tamil Nadu 's past. Radiocarbon dating by US laboratory Beta Analytics has confirmed that it dates to 6th century BCE, making it contemporary with the urbanisation of the Gangetic plains. Of the 29 radiocarbon samples dated by the Tamil Nadu state department of archaeology since the 2017-18 excavation season, the earliest was from 580BCE and the most recent from 200CE. The findings point to an urban and industrial settlement that flourished for 800 years between 6th century BCE and 2nd century CE. The large brick structures from the Sangam Age found here are evidence of the urbanisation described in Sangam literature. 'Most samples above the brick structures date to after the 3rd century BCE, while those below go as far back as the 6th century BCE,' says archaeologist K Rajan, advisor to Tamil Nadu's archaeology department. 'This places Keeladi alongside the urbanisation of the Gangetic plains, India's second urbanisation. Of the 29 radiocarbon dates, 12 fall in the pre-Ashokan era, before the 3rd century BCE.' It also looks like the archaeologists are inching closer to revealing the face of the ancient Tamil, who lived in the Keeladi settlement thousands of years ago, using 3D technology and anthropometric measurements from a skull unearthed at the Kondagai burial site. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Keep Your Home Efficient with This Plug-In elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Learn More Undo 'Based on the skull, we will reconstruct the age, dietary pattern, determine the gender, and actual face of the person,' says Rajan. The state archaeology department is collaborating with more than 20 research institutions from India and overseas on the project, including Liverpool University in the UK, University of Pisa in Italy, the Field Museum in Chicago, the French Institute of Pondicherry, IIT Gandhinagar, and Deccan College, to reconstruct life in Keeladi in 580 BCE. The Deccan College is analysing animal bones found in Keeladi. Excavations uncovered bones of bulls, buffaloes, goats, cows, sheep, dogs, pigs, antelope and spotted deer. Madurai Kamaraj University researchers are working on analysing ancient human DNA and animal DNA, which will help understand human migration and admixture of the ancient inhabitants of Keeladi and Kondagai, a cluster village of Keeladi. This scientific approach has yielded 29 dates from a single site. The Tamil-Brahmi inscribed potsherds unearthed at Keeladi have pushed the script's origin back to the 6th century BCE. Gold and ivory artefacts suggest the ancient Tamils led a life of luxury. 'It shows Keeladi was an urban settlement with a literate society and a community of artisans,' says R Sivanandam, joint director, state archaeology department. 'It was an industrial hub along an ancient trade route linking the east coast port of Alagankulam to Muziris on the west coast via Madurai.' The original name of the settlement, however, remains unknown. Sangam literature talks about overseas trade, ornaments, gemstones, cities and streets and palatial buildings. 'Keeladi has proved that Sangam literature was a lived experience of ancient Tamils and not imaginative stories,' says indologist R Balakrishnan. Archaeologists also found terracotta and ivory dice in rectangular and cubic forms at the site, which Balakrishnan says is mentioned in 'Kalithogai', sixth of the eight anthologies of Sangam literature. 'Keeladi isn't the only site with roots in the 6th century BCE. Kodumanal, Porunthal, Sivagalai, Adichanallur and Korkai have also yielded dates from that period,' says Rajan. 'Korkai has produced a date as early as 785BCE, suggesting Sangam-age urbanisation was widespread.' Despite 10 seasons of excavations at Keeladi, researchers have excavated only 4% of the 110 acres of cultural deposit in Keeladi. The state govt plans to continue excavations and has set up a museum to showcase the findings, with an onsite museum, the first of its kind in India, also in the works. 'Tamil Nadu has endured archaeological apathy for far too long until Keeladi sparked a wave of interest among Tamils,' says Balakrishnan. 'Keeladi is the first site that transformed the understanding of archaeology in Tamil Nadu,' says Rajan. KEELADI CONTROVERSY Archaeologist K Amarnath Ramakrishna, who led the first two excavation seasons (2014-2016), submitted a report in 2023 to ASI stating that Keeladi functioned between 8th century BCE and 3rd century CE. Two years later, ASI challenged the dating, claiming the site could best be dated to 300 BCE and asked Ramakrishna to revise his report. Ramakrishna defended his original findings. Two days ago, Union minister for culture and tourism Gajendran Singh Shekhawat also stated that the report was not technically well supported and further scientific validation is needed WHY IS KEELADI IMPORTANT? Contains brick structural remains from the Sangam Age (early historic period) Among the few sites in Tamil Nadu, along with Arikamedu, Kaveripattinam and Korkai, to yield a wide variety of structures such as complex brick structures, drainage systems with tank-like features, doublewalled furnaces, terracotta ring wells HOW RADIOCARBON DATING WORKS Living organisms absorb carbon, including the radioactive isotope C-14, from the atmosphere. When they die, C-14 intake stops and the organism begins to decay at a known rate. Measuring the remaining C-14 helps estimate the time of death of the organism. A common technique used is accelerator mass spectrometry, which directly counts C-14 atoms, requires just 1g of sample and has dating accuracy within ±30 years KEELADI FINDS Excavated area is 90m long and 60m wide. Artefacts include glass, shell, ivory, pearl and terracotta beads; seals; dice, unidentified copper coins; gold ornaments Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Pain reliever may help in IUI fertility treatment: KGMU study
1 2 3 Lucknow: A recent study conducted at King George's Medical University (KGMU) found that piroxicam, a commonly used pain reliever, may improve the effectiveness of intrauterine insemination (IUI), a low-cost and minimally invasive fertility treatment. The study, published in the journal 'Obstetrics and Gynaecology' in May, was led by Prof Anjoo Agrawal, head of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at KGMU. "IUI is among the most accessible fertility treatments available, particularly for couples with unexplained infertility," said Prof Agrawal. "Our goal was to explore whether adding a widely available medication could improve outcomes." The clinical trial enrolled 186 women diagnosed with unexplained infertility, all of whom were eligible for IUI and had no history of gastrointestinal conditions or known allergies to piroxicam. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups. In the intervention group, 94 women received a 10 mg dose of piroxicam daily on the 4th, 5th and 6th day following IUI, along with standard hormone (progesterone) support. The control group, consisting of 92 women, received only progesterone support. The study found that 9% of participants in the piroxicam group became pregnant (eight pregnancies), with seven continuing beyond 20 weeks. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Free Solitaire. No Ads Ever. Play Solitaire Download Undo In comparison, 2.2% of participants in the control group conceived (two pregnancies), both of which progressed past 20 weeks. The difference was statistically significant, suggesting a potential benefit of piroxicam in improving IUI outcomes. Prof Agrawal said the medication may aid in reducing uterine contractions post-insemination, potentially improving the chances of embryo implantation. The research was conducted under ethical oversight and registered with the Clinical Trials Registry of India (CTRI). The authors noted the importance of further multi-centre trials to confirm the findings across diverse populations. "If further studies support these results, piroxicam may be integrated into standard fertility treatment protocols, particularly in settings with limited resources," said Prof Agrawal. The research team also included Dr Sadhna Singh, Dr Renu Singh, Dr Mona Asnani, Dr Smriti Agrawal and Dr Namrata Kumar. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Time of India
Pig tissue cornea implants offers new treatment for advanced keratoconus
Hyderabad: According to a recent study conducted by doctors at L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) in Hyderabad, cornea implants made from pig tissues might offer a new treatment option for patients with advanced keratoconus. Keratoconus causes the cornea to become too thin and bulge, resulting in blurred vision and, in severe cases, significant vision impairment. The study, published in the US-based Journal of Refractive Surgery, aimed to determine the efficacy of xenogeneic corneal implants, whereby damaged or diseased corneal tissue is replaced with tissue from a different species, typically pigs. Doctors said this reduces the need for human corneas, which are already hard to find in many places. During the clinical trial, doctors placed a small, soft, disc-shaped piece of tissue called a lenticule, made from porcine (pig) collagen, into the corneas of nine patients with advanced keratoconus. The average age of the patients was 28 years. Following the procedure, all of the patients' vision improved significantly as none of their bodies rejected the implants. Their logMAR improved from 1.43 to 0.78. However, in two cases, the tissue around the implant started to thin again and further treatment was required. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Heads Turn as Walgreens Shoppers Discover 87¢ ED Pills fridayplans Learn More Undo Distance vision improved "All the patients have been followed up regularly and are doing well,'"said Dr Rashmi Deshmukh, the study's lead author from LVPEI, told TOI, adding that as well as improving distance vision without glasses, the results showed that the bulging part of the eye became flatter over time. Doctors said that the implants are effective because they resemble human corneas. "Among the species that have been explored so far, porcine collagen most closely resembles human collagen, which is why it is the preferred choice. However, it may be possible in the future for corneal implants to be made from collagen of other species too," said Dr Rashmi. The doctors said that the study was necessary because usual cases of keratoconus could be treated with minimal surgery, after which contact lenses or glasses could be used to improve visual acuity. However, these treatments could only be used if the cornea was sufficiently thick. There were, however, limited treatments available for cases where keratoconus advanced and the cornea became too thin. Only corneal transplantation (keratoplasty), another surgical procedure, was possible. Although pig implants have provided a breakthrough, doctors still need to examine the 'crosslinking process' to determine whether any of the chemicals involved cause an inflammatory reaction in the eye. "Further research is needed to see if there is any way to modify the pig implant to allow important nutrients to reach the front part of the cornea (the part above the implant) to maintain healthy eyes," said Dr Rashmi. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
