Dinosaurs

Wouldn't it be neat if there had been a pint-size Tyrannosaurus? Well, sorry, but there wasn't. According to new research, skeletons that were thought to belong to a pygmy relative are actually from teenage T. Rexes.

Fossilized shells have now revealed that Earth’s systems were already stressed before the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs, as volcanic eruptions may have heated the oceans and raised mercury levels to dangerous heights.

From lost cities, civilizations and stone circles to a startlingly well-preserved dinosaur, here’s a look back at five of the most significant archaeological finds and breakthroughs of the last decade.

New research led by Michael D. D'Emic, an assistant professor of biology at Adelphi University, indicates that a 70-million-year-old dinosaur called Majungasaurus shed and replaced its teeth like a shark about every two months.

About 65 million years ago, a huge asteroid slammed into the Earth and wiped out three quarters of all life on Earth, including the dinosaurs. Now, Yale researchers have found evidence that oceans became too acidic for marine animals to take.

A recent analysis of previously-unearthed pterosaur bones reveals that they belonged to a new genus and species.

A drilling expedition to the Chicxulub crater turned up new details of the immediate aftermath of the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs.

One the largest carnivores to ever walk the Earth may have had an air conditioner in its head to help regulate its temperature.

Although they may not be as well-known as dinosaurs such as the Tyrannosaurus, the duck-billed hadrosaurs were the most common plant-eating dinosaurs at the end of the Mesozoic Era. Now, a newly-classified member of the group appears to be a common ancestor to the various types that came later.

​As you remember from Jurassic Park, velociraptors were known for terrifying claws on their toes. A newly-discovered dinosaur from a related species was packing twice as many weapons. Vespersaurus paranaensis has been found to brandish two large claws on each foot, supporting itself on just one toe.

Three important scientific auctions this week: a 13-m (43-ft) Diplodocus skeleton (US$1.5 to $1.8 million), a first edition Luca Pacioli’s "Summa de Arithmetica" ($1.0 to $1.5 million) and a presentation copy of Charles Darwin’s "On the Origin of Species" ($200,000 to $300,000).

Imprints of ancient bones or footprints are often found in rock, but that’s not the only way they form – in much rarer cases they can also be encased in opal. Now palaeontologists in Australia have uncovered the most complete “opalized” dinosaur, which also happens to be a new species.