Latest news with #Tyrannosaurusrex
The Citizen
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
24 hours in pictures, 26 May 2025
24 hours in pictures, 26 May 2025 Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world. Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova plays against Poland's Iga Swiatek during their women's singles match on day 2 of the French Open tennis tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the Roland-Garros Complex in Paris on May 26, 2025. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP) A general view as the team bus passes through fans in celebration during the Liverpool Trophy Parade on May 26, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by) Citizens watched a huge 'Tyrannosaurus rex' open its mouth and let out a low growl during the limited-time digital experience event of 'Multiverse Park' held at the Bund – Central Square on Nanjing Road, Shanghai, China on May 26, 2025. (Photo by Wang Gang / CFoto / CFOTO via AFP) Ukrainian firefighters and rescuers work at the site of a damaged storage facility of a private factory following an overnight attack in Vasyshcheve, near Kharkiv, Ukraine, 26 May 2025, amid the ongoing Russian invasion. According to the Ukraine's State Emergency Service, Russia launched early on 26 May another large-scale attack with over 300 drones across Ukraine, with a warehouse destroyed and set on fire as a result on the outskirts of Kharkiv. Picture: EPA-EFE/SERGEY KOZLOV Cllr Loyiso Masuku (MMC for Group Corporate and Shared Services-City of Johannesburg) at the Accelerated Service Delivery Programme in Region E at Norwood on May 26, 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa. This people-centred programme seeks to resolve basic service delivery challenges by displaying responsiveness to service delivery failures, efficiency in progress and accountability. (Photo by Gallo Images/Luba Lesolle) DA Emfuleni Ward 16 councillor Grace Damon listens to Ravaal resident Esther Bowers De kork after dumping her waste at an illegal dumping site, since refuse is not being collected in the area, 26 May 2025. The DA conducted an oversight inspection at Ramaphosa Informal Settlement in Emfuleni Ward 16, Rustervaal, Vereeniging. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen McLaren driver Lando Norris (bottom R) of Britain leads Scuderia Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco around the harbour during the Formula One Grand Prix of Monaco at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte Carlo, Monaco, 25 May 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/YOAN VALAT A billboard reads in Persian 'Warning, we are getting old', referring to the aging population in the country, in Enqelab square, in Tehran, Iran, 26 May 2025. According to the United Nations Population Fund, Iran's population is aging rapidly, by 2050, UNFPA predicts one-third of Iran's population will be 60 or older. Picture: EPA-EFE/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH Commuters wade through a flooded street after heavy rain showers in Mumbai on May 26, 2025. Lashing rains swamped India's financial capital Mumbai on May 26 as the annual monsoon arrived some two weeks earlier than usual, according to weather forecasters. (Photo by Punit PARANJPE / AFP) Georgian military aircrafts release smoke in the colours of the Georgian flag while flying over Tbilisi during the celebrations of Georgia's Independence Day on May 26, 2025. (Photo by Vano SHLAMOV / AFP) France's President Emmanuel Macron (2nd R), his wife Brigitte Macron (2nd L), Vietnam's General Secretary of the Communist Party To Lam (R) and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly (L) pose for photo with performers after attending a ceremony at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi on May 26, 2025. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) Farmers take part in a rally organized by the FNSEA and Jeunes Agriculteurs (JA) unions outside the French National Assembly in Paris, on May 26, 2025, ahead of a debate by MPs on the Duplomb bill aimed at 'removing constraints on the exercise' of their profession and in particular facilitating access to pesticides. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP) MORE: 48 hours in pictures, 25 May 2025
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
‘Very odd' 40-foot-long marine reptile stalked prehistoric Canada
The infamous Tyrannosaurus rex is not the only dinosaur species that North America is famous for. The continent can now boast about a 'very odd' genus of elasmosaur. Elasmosaurs themselves were some of the some of the largest plesiosaurs–or a group of extinct marine reptiles–to have ever lived. Now, this new species of these long-necked plesiosaurs that looked like mythological sea monsters is officially named in a recent study published in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. Say hello to Traskasaura sandrae. Measuring almost 40 feet long, fossil evidence shows that this reptile had very heavy, sharp, and robust teeth ideal for crushing its prey. Traskasaura also appears to have a strange mix of primitive and more evolved traits unlike other elasmosaur paleontologists have studied. This unique suite of adaptations allowed this type of pleiosaur to hunt its prey from above. It could have been the first plesiosaurs to do so. The 36 well-preserved cervical vertebrae and 50 neck bones indicate that Traskasaura had a very long neck. While not much is known about its behavior, the 'fascinating and long list of autapomorphic characters' of the bones indicate it could have been a strong downward swimmer. This combination of unusual physical features potentially relates to its hunting style. It could have used its strong downward swimming skills to dive down on its prey from above. It likely preyed upon the abundant ammonites known from the region. Traskasaura's robust teeth could have crushed their shells to get to their fleshy insides, according to study co-author and Marshall University paleontologist F. Robin O'Keefe. While the species is newly named, the 85-million-year-old fossils that helped scientists name it are not new to science. In 1988, the first elasmosaur fossils that would eventually be categorized Traskasaura were discovered among rocks dating to the Late Cretaceous along the Puntledge River on Vancouver Island. Additional fossils have been recovered in the more than three decades since, including an isolated right humerus and a well-preserved, juvenile skeleton made up of a thorax, girdles, and limbs. In total, three specimens from Haslam Formation of Vancouver Island are part of the collection detailed in the new study. The fossils themselves were first scientifically described in 2002. However, the specimens only recently became famous. The Canadian Province of British Columbia declared elasmosaur as the official fossil emblem of British Columbia. This official designation by the government followed a five-year effort by paleontology enthusiasts and even a province-wide public poll in 2018. Elasmosaur received 48 percent of that vote. 'Plesiosaur fossils have been known for decades in British Columbia,' O'Keefe said in a statement. 'However, the identity of the animal that left the fossils has remained a mystery, even as [they] were declared BC's provincial fossil in 2023. Our new research published today finally solves this mystery.' [ Related: This giant polar reptile once stalked an ancient super-ocean. ] According to O'Keefe, an expert on marine reptiles from the Age of Dinosaurs, the scientific confusion about categorizing this skeleton was largely due to its strange mixture of both primitive and more evolved characteristics. For example, the shoulder is unlike any other plesiosaur she has ever seen. When O'Keefe first saw these fossils and realized they represented something new, she initially thought it could be related to other specimens from the Antarctic. 'My Chilean colleague Rodrigo Otero thought differently, and he was right,' said O'Keefe. 'Traskasaura is a strange, convergently evolved, fascinating beast.' During the initial description of the fossils in 2002, experts were reluctant to create a whole new genus based solely on one adult skeleton. However, a new 'excellently preserved' partial skeleton enabled the team from Canada, Chile, and the United States to understand more on the Puntledge River elasmosaur's morphology. The result is this new genus and species. 'With the naming of Traskasaura sandrae, the Pacific Northwest finally has [a] Mesozoic reptile to call its own,' O'Keefe added. 'Fittingly, a region known for its rich marine life today was host to strange and wonderful marine reptiles in the Age of Dinosaurs.'
Hindustan Times
18-05-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Lko's Prehistoric Life Park gets light-&-sound show, renovated models; reopening today
Regional Science City's (RSC's) Prehistoric Life Park will don an all-new avatar when it reopens on the International Museum Day on Sunday. The park has remained shut for renovations since January. One of the major attractions will be a sound-and-light show on the 'origin of life, prehistoric life, and the evolution of human beings'. RSC's project coordinator Swaroop Mandal said the park was built about 20 years ago. 'Models were damaged with time. This is the first interactive project in Regional Science City. Other parts of the Science City will also be renovated soon,' said Mandal. When visitors reach Prehistoric Life Park, a thematic decoration and a wall painting of dinosaurs on the entry gate will invite them. Inside, animatronic models of dragonfly, Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex), Smilodon, Stegosaurus and Ankylosaurus will be waiting for them. 'The light-and-sound show will take place between 6 and 8 pm. Two shows—each 20-25 minutes long—will be held daily. Also, each segment of the park will be highlighted with attractive lights providing details about the exhibits to the visitors,' said Mandal. The park will be inaugurated by minister of state (Independent) of higher education Sandeep Singh in the presence of Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants director Prabodh Kumar Trivedi, Geological Survey of India deputy director general VP Gaur and National Science Centre director Vijay Shankar Sharma.
Chicago Tribune
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: A dinosaur named Sue is unveiled at the Field Museum
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on May 17, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1900: L. Frank Baum's 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' was published. Baum wrote the book when he lived on Chicago's West Side. 1979: The wind was blowing out at Wrigley Field. The first inning tipped off what was coming. The Philadelphia Phillies scored seven runs on seven hits. The Chicago Cubs scored six on seven hits. Mike Schmidt cracked his second home run in the top of the 10th to win it 23-22. There were 50 hits in the game, 26 by the Cubs, and 11 were home runs. Dave Kingman hit three homers for the Cubs. Bill Buckner, Steve Ontiveros and Jerry Martin had one apiece. Bob Boone, Gary Maddox and Randy Lerch homered for the Phils. On cold nights in the winter of 1979-80, WGN-TV replayed the 23-22 game. Ratings were very good. 2000: Sue — the largest, most complete and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimen found to that date — debuted in Stanley Field Hall (the lobby inside the Field Museum). Vintage Chicago Tribune: Sue the T. rex's journey to the Field MuseumSubscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Mystery of T. Rex's Debated North American Origins Finally Solved
Paleontologists are divided on the origin of one of our favorite dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus rex. Some say its ancestry is firmly rooted in North America. Others aren't convinced. An international team, led by paleoecologist Cassius Morrison from University College London, now proposes the terrible lizard's 'grandparents' may have instead migrated to North America from Asia across the Bering Strait. "Dozens of T. rex fossils have been unearthed in North America but our findings indicate that the fossils of T. rex's direct ancestor may lie undiscovered still in Asia," Morrison says. "This is in line with past research finding that the T. rex was more closely related to Asian cousins such as the Tarbosaurus than to North American relatives such as Daspletosaurus." In 2024 a scientific team reported that a fossil found in New Mexico, from the T. rex relative Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis, predated its more famous counterpart by around 6 million years. They took this to mean that large-bodied tyrannosaurs had a North American origin. Morrison's team argues this conclusion – and the age estimated for T. mcraeensis – is unreliable, due to the scarcity of specimens and current technological limitations. Their methods for tracing Tyrannosaur family history instead involved modeling based on the fossil record (and its gaps), the dinosaur evolutionary tree and data on the climate and geography of the time. It particularly reveals how tyrannosaurids and megaraptors may have moved across the continents. Based on these models, the team argues that although the T. rex genus likely arose in western North America – or rather the prehistoric continent Laramidia, as the land mass of the time is known – its direct ancestors likely migrated across from Asia. "The genus Tyrannosaurus originated in Laramidia from an ancestrally Asian taxon that emigrated to North America during the Late Campanian – Early Maastrichtian," the authors write. This isn't a new proposition: even the tiniest of T. rex's relatives left fossils that suggest a Beringian land bridge migration. Megaraptors, they found, probably emerged in Asia around 120 million years ago, before dispersing to Europe and the southern 'supercontinent' Gondwana. But no megaraptor fossils have been found in Europe or Africa – at least, not yet. "At the beginning of their evolutionary history, around 120 million years ago, megaraptors were part of a widespread and diverse dinosaur fauna," explains paleontologist Mauro Aranciaga Rolando, from the Bernardino Rivadavia Natural Sciences Argentine Museum. "As the Cretaceous period progressed and the continents that once formed Gondwana began to drift apart, these predators became increasingly specialized. While in regions like Asia megaraptors were eventually replaced by tyrannosaurs, in areas such as Australia and Patagonia they evolved to become apex predators, dominating their ecosystems." As the world's climate became cooler around 92 million years ago, both megaraptors and tyrannosaurids reached gigantic sizes. But the team found no direct correlation between climate and gigantism in these dinosaurs. Instead, they may have been better adapted to the cold, allowing them to take over the newly vacant apex predator niche in their environments. "They likely grew to such gigantic sizes to replace the equally giant carcharodontosaurid theropods that went extinct about 90 million years ago," says UCL paleontologist Charlie Scherer. "This extinction likely removed the ecological barrier that prevented tyrannosaurs from growing to such sizes." The research is published in Royal Society Open Science. Wild Chimps Appear to Administer 'First Aid' to Each Other Scientists Discover Oldest Reptile Tracks, Rewriting Evolution Timeline Incredible Detail on This Archaeopteryx Fossil Could Help Settle Flight Debate
