Latest news with #T-rex
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
New species of dinosaur discovered that 'rewrites' T.rex family tree
Scientists have discovered a new species of dinosaur - in the collection of a Mongolian museum - that they say "rewrites" the evolutionary history of tyrannosaurs. Researchers concluded that two 86 million-year-old skeletons they studied belonged to a species that is now the closest known ancestor of all tyrannosaurs - the group of predators that includes the iconic The researchers named the species Khankhuuluu (pronounced khan-KOO-loo) mongoliensis, meaning Dragon Prince of Mongolia. The discovery, published in Nature, is a window into how tyrannosaurs evolved to become powerful predators that terrorised North America and Asia until the end of the reign of the dinosaurs. "'Prince' refers to this being an early, smaller tyrannosauroid," explained Prof Darla Zelenitsky, a palaeontologist from the University of Calgary in Canada. Tyrannosauroids are the superfamily of carnivorous dinosaurs that walked on two legs. The first tyrannosauroids though were tiny. PhD student Jared Voris, who led the research with Prof Zelenitsky, explained: "They were these really small, fleet-footed predators that lived in the shadows of other apex predatory dinosaurs." Khankhuuluu represents an evolutionary shift - from those small hunters that scampered around during the Jurassic period - to the formidable giants, including T-rex. It would have weighed about 750kg, while an adult could have weighed as much as eight times that, so "this is a transitional [fossil]," explained Prof Zelenitsky, "between earlier ancestors and the mighty tyrannosaurs". "It has helped us revise the tyrannosaur family tree and rewrite what we know about the evolution of tyrannosaurs," she added. The new species also shows early evolutionary stages of features that were key to the tyrannosaurs' tyranny, including skull anatomy that gave it a strong jaw. Jared Voris explained: "We see features in its nasal bone that eventually gave tyrannosaurs those very powerful bite forces." The evolution of such powerful jaws allowed T-rex to pounce on larger prey, and even bite through bone. Tyrannosaur's last meal was two baby dinosaurs Fossil reveals 240 million year-old 'dragon' Solving the mystery of a dinosaur mass grave The two partial skeletons that the team examined in this study were first discovered in Mongolia back in the early 1970s. They were initially assigned to an existing species, known as Alectrosaurus, but when Mr Voris examined them, he identified the Tyrannosaur-like features that set it apart. "I remember getting a text from him - that he thought this was a new species," recalled Prof Zelenitsky. The fact that this group of dinosaurs were able to move between North America and Asia - via land bridges that connected Siberia and Alaska at the time - also helped them to find and occupy different niches. Mr Voris explained: "That movement back and forth between the continents basically pushed the evolution of different tyrannosaur groups" over millions of years. Prof Zelinitsky added: "This discovery shows us that, before tyrannosaurs became the kings, they were they were princes."
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jurassic World: The Experience at Gardens by the Bay till 31 Dec
On 29 May, Jurassic World: The Experience debuted within the Cloud Forest at the . Presented by NEON and Universal Live Entertainment, this event brings the cinematic wonder of the Jurassic World film franchise to life through life-sized animatronic dinosaurs nestled within the legendary mist-shrouded conservatory. For Singapore Adult Residents, a ticket to the Cloud Forest will set you back by S$26. For Singapore Children & Senior Residents, the same ticket will set you back by S$22. Check out these highlights. Experience the Brachiosaurus Falls, where amidst a landscape of dense forests and thundering waterfalls, a Brachiosaurus duo erupt in calls, harmonising with each other. Come face-to-face with a fierce animatronic T-rex, then make your way to safety by slipping through a fence, prowling among palm-like plants with thick trunks and spiky leaves. These include cycads such as the Cycas revoluta (Japanese Cycad) and Cycas rumphii (Queen Sago), plants that once grew across the land during the dinosaur age. Enjoy an exciting photo opportunity where you get to choose from different animated backgrounds, along with exclusive digital reels to preserve your special Jurassic World visit. Don't forget to drop by the retail area for some merchandise to remember your adventure. Learn about prehistoric plants such as the (Golden Chicken Fern) (above, left). In the past, the fine, golden hairs that distinguish this fern were applied to wounds to stop bleeding. Today, Cibotium barometz is popular in gardens and collections. Favouring moist gullies and valleys in Eastern Australia, the feathery foliage of Dicksonia Antarctica (Tasmanian Tree Fern) (above, right) shelters an abundance of ferns and mini orchids. Despite their preference for humid places, mature ferns are wildfire tolerant. Children's Festival 2025 24 May – 15 Jun with Lilo & Stitch exhibits The post Jurassic World: The Experience at Gardens by the Bay till 31 Dec appeared first on
West Australian
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Walking With Dinosaurs returns to ABC 25 years after the groundbreaking original series hit screens
Twenty-five years after the original series first stomped across screens, Walking With Dinosaurs is making its way back to TV, using new technology to bring to life the stories of the ancient creatures that roamed the earth many millions of years ago. This time around, as well as bringing dinosaurs to life digitally, the series follows the work of several palaeontology teams working in the field, including expert Dr Nazir Ibrahim, who travels with his colleagues to the Sahara Desert in episode two. That episode is dedicated to fleshing out — literally and metaphorically — the story of a male spinosaurus, the largest carnivorous dinosaur ever to walk the earth. For Dr Ibrahim, seeing his research come to life on screen was the realisation of a vision that had been in his head for years. 'For me, when I'm in a place like the Sahara, for example, I look out at this incredible, vast landscape . . . and I don't see a dry desert,' he says. 'In my mind, I try to travel back in time, and I see this amazing landscape from the Cretaceous period. 'I see a vast river and crocodile-like hunters patrolling the waterways, and spinosaurus sails sticking out of the water, and other (creatures) in the sky, so I think this is a really amazing opportunity to share this incredible vision that I have in my head with people on an actual screen.' Dr Ibrahim says he's thrilled about the prospect viewers will get to see his creatures 'fleshed out and resurrected.' And it's not just his spinosaurus that gets a look-in — from the Sahara Desert to the badlands of Utah; the forests of Canada to the hills of Portugal, the series follows dinosaurs across 84 million years of their reign. Other stories include 'a youthful triceratops battling a ravenous T-rex in North America', and 'a lonely giant lusotitan risking it all for love in Portugal'. Their stories are brought to life using cutting edge CGI techniques provided by VFX house Lola Post Production. Filming the series, and bringing the work of those palaeontology teams to life, was a huge undertaking for the series' showrunner Kirsty Wilson, who was acutely aware of the special place the original series had in viewers' hearts. Her challenge was to create an updated version of that beloved property to the screen, while keeping all the aspects people loved the first time around. 'It was kind of terrifying, but also, you know, a great privilege to be handed a show like this,' Wilson says. 'The original series was really kind of innovative, and freshened up the form. We didn't want to just stick to the kind of thing they did, and regurgitate what had been done before. We wanted to innovate as well.' This is the reason Wilson and her team decided to show the work of so-called 'dinosaur hunters' in the field — 'so that (viewers) can literally see the evidence coming out of the ground,' she explains. 'And the other great benefit of doing that, is that we get to show the incredible work of palaeontologists like Nizar and what they're doing — it's not just the backroom stuff,' she says. 'Plus people love seeing palaeontologists up close — it's that real kind of 12-year-old kid thing that's in all of us.' Each episode is dedicated to a different individual dinosaur, and it's the hope of the producers that through the series we'll come to 'love them, fear them, and root for these prehistoric legends'. 'The work of people like Nizar is to kind of show that these animals are, you know, real animals,' Wilson says. 'That they were real animals that once roamed the earth, not dragons, or myths, or monsters.' When she was imagining how the show might take shape, Wilson says she wanted viewers to see these creatures as 'individuals'. 'They're always shown as these generic groups, so it's what a T-rex species would have done, or what triceratops the species would have been like,' Wilson says. 'But we had an amazing opportunity, because we were digging up the actual body of an individual, to create that actual individual's story, and add this new twist and turn of the wheel.'
Newsweek
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
'Jurassic World Rebirth' Trailer Shows First Look at Bizarre T-Rex Mutant
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors A new action-packed trailer dropped on Tuesday for "Jurassic World Rebirth" and it introduces the absolutely bizarre and terrifying creature, the Distortus rex, a fictional mutant version of the T-rex inspired by a merging of the Rancor of "Star Wars", the xenomorph of "Alien", and a T-Rex. You can watch the new trailer below. Read More: New 'Predator' Trailer Cuts A Bloody Trail Through History As you can see in the very beginning of the trailer, the mutant Distortus rex is so terrifying that the scientists creating it leave one of their own to die rather than risk letting the monster escape. "Jurassic World Rebirth" takes place five years after the events of 2022's "Jurassic World Dominion", and most of the world is no longer a safe place for dinosaurs. Scarlett Johansson plays Zora Bennett, a covert ops expert hired by a wealthy pharmaceutical company to go to a forbidden island in the Atlantic where the original research for Jurassic Park took place. Their mission is to gather genetic material for the company in the hopes it can be used for life-saving medication. Things go sideways when a group of civilians shows up on the island, and, as anyone who's seen any of the "Jurassic Park" or "Jurassic World" entries knows - it's always best to just leave the lizards alone. Johansson's voiceover lets us know the kind of danger they're all in. We hear her telling her team, "The theme park owners did experimental work... leaving only the worst ones here." Along with a nasty-looking T-rex and the Distortus rex, we get a good chance to see a massive alligator-like dinosaur threatening Zora's team's ship. There's also a nasty-looking flying dinosaur who goes after the team as they gather DNA from its eggs. The last entry in the franchise, "Jurassic World Dominion", was far from beloved by critics. The film earned an absolutely dismal 29% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes. But audiences seemed to disagree with reviewers. The film took in $1 billion at the global box office. "Jurassic World Rebirth" is directed by Gareth Edwards from a screenplay by David Koepp. The film releases in theaters on July 2. The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, and David Iacono. More Movies: Fan-Favorite 'Harry Potter' Star Cast as 'Hunger Games' Greatest Villain 'Liver King' Under Fire Again as Netflix Doc Reveals Steroid Scandal
The Citizen
18-05-2025
- Science
- The Citizen
Watch: Discover the wonders of the Durban Natural Science Museum
NESTLED in the heart of eThekwini and within the walls of City Hall, the Durban Natural Science Museum, which is home to some of Southern Africa's wonders and greatest discoveries, including the well preserved and near complete skeletal remains of the extinct Dodo bird, stands as a beacon of knowledge and discovery. Established in 1887 and located on Anton Lembede Street, the Durban Natural Science Museum attracts thousands of visitors, students, and curious minds throughout the year. As the only other museum – the other being in Mauritius – with the extremely rare complete skeletal remains of the Dodo on display, Durban's hidden gem has become the envy of scientists across the world with some even flying in to get a glance at the well-preserved specimen. As we celebrate International Museum Day today, May 18, we take look at the wonders that reside within the glass cabinets and jars of the Durban Natural Science Museum. This remarkable free to enter institution is a must-visit destination for locals and tourists, offering a fascinating glimpse into the natural world and the rich history of the region. As you enter the museum, you are greeted at reception by the majestic sight of a giraffe that stands tall next to the Dodo remains and behind the welcoming staff. On your left is the door that takes one into the PA Clancey Gallery that houses preserved specimens of birds that once roamed the southern parts of the continent. Among them are the flightless ostrich and stuffed owls, the extinct Egyptian vulture, storks and the list continues with their eggs and nests out on display. The aptly decorated gallery, with a large bird's nest hanging above and chirping sounds of birds, is only dwarfed by a life size Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-rex) model and crocodile that stand at the centre of the room which leads you into the geology and palaeontology section. There, you will find the origins of mankind and information on evolution. Aimed at furthering knowledge, research and conservation, the room documents fossils from how the world started, including the evolution of horses who have adapted to the warmer weather conditions. From there you are taken to an interchangeable room that is used for educational purposes and currently looks at the relationship between filthy urban places and how waste contributes to the rising number rodents and diseases. The display asks and answers the poignant question of 'What is eThekwini doing about rats?' Next to it is the KwaNunu, the insect and non-insect room that educates on the creepy crawlys that walk among us. The larger life mammals are in the next room with the endangered rhino and elephant taking centre stage. In there, you walk among wild dogs and hyenas. Realistic dioramas or habitats line the walls of the enclosures that depict different ecosystems and the animals that live in them. In one of the displays, named the Waterhole, life size preserved animals occupy the area and give you a sense of the wild, and the symbiosis of the circle of life as they work together and fight for survival. The Durban Natural Science Museum is free to enter and is open from Monday to Sunday, 08:30 to 15:45 (opens at 11:00 on Sunday). They offer guided tours for school groups and individuals. For more information and bookings, contact 031 311 2256 or For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
