CHARLESTON, S.C., March 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Of all the scientific names that have been given to our planet’s species, “Tyrannosaurus rex” may be the most famous. Which name do more kids recognize, the king of the dinosaurs or that of our own species: Homo sapiens? The dinosaur, of course.
Paleontologists have been digging away and identifying skeletons as T. rex for more than 120 years. In a new study published in the scientific journal Evolutionary Biology, researchers have sifted through all of those skeletons and reconsidered what it means to be T. rex. The study puts forward the new hypothesis that, while all those bones do belong to “Tyrannosaurus,” they may not all be “rex.”
“The name Tyrannosaurus rex, or T. rex for short, has two parts,” says Scott Persons, a College of Charleston geology professor and an author of the new study, explaining that “Tyrannosaurus – that’s the ‘T.’ – is the name of the genus. The ‘rex’ identifies a species within that genus. Normally, it’s a dinosaur’s genus name that everybody knows: Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Velociraptor. T. rex is an exception. We all know the full name, genus and species. Maybe that’s because the species name is short and sweet; maybe it’s because the full name is so evocative and just plain fun to say.
“It’s a cool name – it has what I’d call rex appeal,” continues Persons. “But maybe not every Tyrannosaurus deserved that rexy name. Within a genus there are usually multiple species that vary from one another. We Homo sapiens share our genus with many hominid relatives – like Homo neanderthalensis, Homo erectus and Homo habilis – but there has only ever been one recognized species of Tyrannosaurus.”
In the past, other paleontologists have been suspicious of variability among Tyrannosaurus skeletons – like how some Tyrannosaurus have two sets of front teeth in their lower jaws with a chisel-like shape, while others have only one set. Other paleontologists have thought something funny is going on with the overall bulkiness of Tyrannosaurus bones. Some skeletons are extra lean, while others are much burlier.
Persons and the study’s lead author Greg Paul amassed a dataset of skeletal measurements from all available Tyrannosaurus specimens. To help sort out this data, Persons recruited College of Charleston National Merit Scholar and alumna Jay Van Raalte ’20.
Winner of the College’s top mathematics honor, the Ewa Wojcicka Award, Van Raalte is a mathematical prodigy who got to work crunching numbers and helping to analyze the data statistically.
To confirm that something unusual was going on with Tyrannosaurus, the team compared the variability of the data to that of another large carnivorous dinosaur: Allosaurus fragilis. Unlike the Tyrannosaurus data, which came from fossil sites scattered across the continent, the 14 Allosaurus fragilis skeletons all came from a single spot: the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry in Utah. Being from one spot at one point in time, the Allosaurus skeletons are assumed to be one species. Sure enough, the Allosaurus data were far less variable, indicating the differences in heft observed in Tyrannosaurus were beyond what should be expected in just one species.
When the team went on to compare the skeletal proportions of Tyrannosaurus with those of its closest relatives (other two-fingered tyrannosaurids like Albertosaurus, Daspletosaurus and Tarbosaurus), the Tyrannosaurus data still came out as unusually variable. But there was another big surprise.
“For about half the specimens,” Persons says, “the proportions are far more gracile [skinny] than what you would expect for a tyrannosaurid or other carnivorous dinosaur of that size. That confused the heck out of me. Tyrannosaurus is the biggest of the tyrannosaurids, so you’d think it would be the most robust.”
As animals get bigger, their bones have to support more weight and endure the forces imposed by their heavy bodies while moving. But, big heavy animals tend to be slower, making it harder to chase and capture prey.
“Instead of adapting their bodies to deal with the greater physical constraints, it’s as though the animals were adapting to deal with greater ecological constraints,” says Persons. “Rather than compensate for the greater risks and strains of growing big, the gracile Tyrannosaurus has a leaner frame that may have helped it maintain athletic performance even at large size.”
Finally, the team divided all the Tyrannosaurus specimens up based on time. A few patterns emerged. No gracile Tyrannosaurus skeletons were known from older, lower rocks layers, and neither were specimens with just one chisel-like tooth set. All the gracile specimens were from a younger point in time and also had a single set of chisel-like teeth. This, the researchers argue, suggests that the burlier and double chisel-toothed form found in the older layers was one species that gave rise to another.
Some new names were in order.
The young gracile descendants have been dubbed Tyrannosaurus regina (meaning “tyrant lizard queen”), and, continuing the royal theme, the ancestral species has been christened Tyrannosaurus imperator (meaning “tyrant lizard emperor”).
But what about Tyrannosaurus rex? Well, the gracile T. regina was not the only Tyrannosaurus of its time. Also found in the younger rocks were burly specimens, but unlike the older T. imperator, they all also bear only one chisel-like tooth set. It is to this third group that the first-discovered skeleton named Tyrannosaurus rex belongs.
The Tyrannosaurus fossil record spans badlands across North America and over 1.5 million years.
“From an evolutionary perspective, that’s a long time for one species of large, warm-blooded predator to remain unchanged,” says Persons. “Natural selection often leads to expanding diversity. Today, lions and leopards are two species of the same genus that live together, as are grizzly bears and black bears. I think it’s unlikely that all our Tyrannosaurus specimens represent a single species. The challenge is trying to tell them apart.”
Will the new research lead museum curators to rush out and re-label their skeletons? Persons doubts it, at least in the short term.
“In paleontology, all species names represent hypotheses,” he says. “After all, no amount of romantic lighting or Barry White will reveal to you which Tyrannosaurus fossils could mate and yield fertile offspring. But, like any good scientific hypothesis, ours can be tested. As new Tyrannosaurus skeletons are found, we can check if they fit or defy the three proposed species and associated traits. That will make the next discovered Tyrannosaurus skeleton all the more exciting.”
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
