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New Research Shows Tyrannosaurus Rex Took Nearly 40 Years to Fully Grow

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A detailed analysis of 17 fossil specimens of tyrannosaurus rex indicates that this iconic dinosaur grew much more slowly than previously believed, reaching an adult weight of approximately 8 tons by around age 40. This challenges earlier assumptions about its life history.

tyrannosaurus rex holotype specimen at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, USA. Image credit: Scott Robert Anselmo / CC BY-SA 3.0.

tyrannosaurus rex is renowned as one of the most iconic non-avian dinosaurs, continually captivating paleontologists and the public alike.

Previous growth studies proposed that this ancient predator could exceed 8 tons within just 20 years and live for nearly 30 years.

Utilizing advanced statistical algorithms, the new research examined bone slices under specialized lighting, uncovering hidden growth rings that previous studies had overlooked.

This analysis not only extended the growing season for tyrannosaurus rex but also suggested that by age 15, some specimens might not be complete individuals of tyrannosaurus rex, but instead could belong to other species or unique variants.

“This is the largest dataset ever collected regarding tyrannosaurus rex,” stated Holly Woodward, a professor at Oklahoma State University.

“Through studying the tree rings preserved in fossilized bones, we reconstructed the growth history of these magnificent creatures year by year.”

Unlike the annual rings found in tree stumps, the cross-sections of tyrannosaurus rex bones only record the final 10 to 20 years of an individual’s life.

“Our innovative statistical approach allowed us to estimate growth trajectories by synthesizing growth records from various samples. We examined every growth stage in greater detail than any prior studies,” explained Dr. Nathan Myhrvold, a mathematician and paleontologist at Intellectual Ventures.

“The resulting compound growth curves provide a more accurate representation of how tyrannosaurus rex matured and evolved in size.”

Rather than competing for dominance into adulthood, tyrannosaurus rex demonstrated a gradual and steadier growth pattern than previously assumed.

“The prolonged growth phase over 40 years likely enabled young tyrannosaurs to occupy various ecological roles within their environment,” said Dr. Jack Horner of Chapman University.

“This may explain how they maintained their status as apex carnivores at the end of the Cretaceous period.”

The team’s findings were published in the online journal Peer J.

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HN Woodward et al. 2026. Long-term growth and the extension of subadult development of the tyrannosaurus rex species complex revealed through expanded histological sampling and statistical modeling. Peer J 14: e20469; doi: 10.7717/peerj.20469

Source: www.sci.news

AI in Silicon Valley: Beyond Job Exchange to Total Replacement | Ed Newton Rex

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I recently discovered a restaurant located in my second-floor room in San Francisco, where a venture capital firm hosted a dinner. The after-dinner speaker was a tech veteran who sold his AI company for hundreds of millions and is now pivoting to investment. His straightforward message to the founders of a newly established startup was clear: the potential earnings from AI far exceed the limited market size of previous tech waves. You can draw on a global workforce, which could mean profits for everyone involved.

The idea of completely replacing human labor with AI sounds like science fiction. However, it is the explicit goal of a growing number of high-tech elites—individuals devoid of significant drives or resources, yet with ample financial backing and determination. When they declare their intention to automate all labor, we should take their words seriously.

This perspective is typically confined to closed circles for obvious reasons; one rarely invokes hostility faster than when suggesting that jobs may vanish. Nonetheless, a company named Machicalize challenged this trend last month by openly articulating their vision: “Fully automated economy.” They have successfully garnered funding from some of Silicon Valley’s most prominent figures, including Google’s chief scientist Jeff Dean and podcast host Workspatel.

Is it truly feasible to automate every job? Elon Musk seems to think so. He suggested that the rise of AI and robotics could lead to a scenario where “None of us have a job.” Bill Gates has also reflected on the future of human work, stating that some roles may not be necessary: “It’s not necessary for ‘most things’.” Predictions for sweeping labor changes come from notable figures such as AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton and billionaire investor Vinod Khosla. Their insights are not to be dismissed lightly.

Certain professions appear to be notably resistant to automation. Taylor Swift, Harry Kane, or the next Archbishop of Canterbury are unlikely to be replaced. Famous artists, athletes, politicians, and clergy are among the occupations least susceptible to AI intrusion; unfortunately, they are not careers accessible to everyone.

Currently, technology cannot substitute for all human labor. AI is prone to errors and lacks the coordination, dexterity, and adaptability of humans. However, cutting-edge technology can already perform many tasks, and the expectation is that it will continue to accelerate in capability.

GPT-4, one of OpenAI’s large language models, achieved a Top 10% score on the bar exam in 2023. More recent models have proven adept at coding even beyond the skills of their own chief scientists. The demand for freelance writing sharply declined when ChatGPT was released; the same trend occurred in graphic design following the launch of AI image generators. Driverless cars are already a common sight in San Francisco. As Sam Altman stated emphatically, “The job is It will definitely disappear—full stop.”

While AI captures most headlines, advancements in robotics are also progressing rapidly. While AI may threaten white-collar jobs, robots are increasingly targeting blue-collar work. A humanoid robot is currently undergoing tests at BMW factories. Another model has managed to master over 100 tasks typically performed by human store clerks. Companies are preparing to commence home tests with robots as soon as this year. The Silicon Valley vision for the job market is clear: AI handles thinking, while robots take care of the physical tasks. In this scenario, what role remains for humans?

Until recently, AI researchers anticipated that achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI)—the ability for AI to perform virtually all cognitive tasks at human levels—was an aspiration far off in the future. However, that perception has shifted. Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind, now claims that “It’ll come soon“—in less than 5-10 years, he says, would not surprise him.

Of course, these forecasts could be inaccurate. There’s a chance we may enter another AI winter, where chatbot advancements stagnate, robots falter, and venture capital shifts focus to another tech phenomenon. I personally don’t believe this will happen, but it’s a possibility. However, the core question remains: it’s not whether high-tech CEOs and billions in funding are directing efforts toward labor automation, but rather why they are so eager to pursue this goal and how the general populace feels about it.


The more optimistic viewpoint is that they genuinely believe a post-labor economy will spur significant economic growth and vastly enhance global living standards. The crucial question is whether historical patterns indicate that the fruits of this growth are equitably shared.

Alternatively, a less charitable interpretation is that it all boils down to money. Venture capitalist Mark Andreessen famously remarked, “Software eats the world.” Many sectors have been absorbed into this tech phenomenon. Regardless of the software developed, human effort remains essential for executing the majority of global work. However, Silicon Valley now sees an opening: a chance to control the entire means of production. If they choose not to seize this opportunity, they would not be true to their innovative spirit.

  • Ed Newton-Rex is a founder of a nonprofit certifying AI companies that respect creator rights and is the founder of Fally Trained. He serves as a visiting scholar at Stanford University.

Source: www.theguardian.com

Unveiling the King: New Insights into the Enigmatic Origins of Tyrannosaurus Rex

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The genus Tyrannosaurus had its direct ancestors migrate from Asia over 70 million years ago, according to a groundbreaking study conducted by researchers at University College of Paleontologists in London.

Tyrannosaurus Rex evolved in North America, while its direct ancestors originated from Asia. Image credit: Pedro Salas/Sergey Krasovskiy.

This research, led by Cassius Morrison, a Ph.D. student at University College London, indicates that the rapid increase in the size of tyrannosaur dinosaurs and their close relatives, the Megaraptors, coincided with a global climate cooling that followed a temperature peak 92 million years ago.

This finding suggests that Tyrannosaurus Rex and its relatives may have been better adapted to cooler climates compared to other dinosaur groups at the time, likely due to their feathers and warmer physiology.

The geographical origins of Tyrannosaurus Rex have been a topic of intense debate,” stated Morrison.

“Paleontologists remain divided over whether their ancestors originated from Asia or North America.”

“Our modeling indicates that the “grandparents” of Tyrannosaurus Rex likely migrated to North America from Asia, crossing the Bering Strait between modern-day Siberia and Alaska.”

“This aligns with prior research showing that Tyrannosaurus Rex shares a closer relation to Asian relatives like Turbosaurus than to North American relatives such as Daspletosaurus.

“Numerous Tyrannosaurus Rex fossils have been found in North America, but our findings imply that the direct ancestors of this group may not yet have been unearthed in Asia.”

Paleontologists concluded that Tyrannosaurus Rex actually evolved in North America, particularly in Lalamidia, and was widely distributed across the region.

This conclusion contradicts last year’s findings suggesting that Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis, discovered in New Mexico, could be North American ancestors of Tyrannosaurus Rex from 3 to 5 million years ago. The team argued that the fossils of Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis were not properly dated.

For this study, researchers examined the migratory patterns of Tyrannosaurus and its relatives across the globe.

They employed mathematical models that represented fossils, dinosaur evolutionary trees, as well as the geography and climate of the era.

Importantly, the model addressed gaps in the fossil record and factored in uncertainties in the calculations.

Megaraptors are considered one of the most enigmatic large carnivorous dinosaurs.

In contrast to Tyrannosaurus Rex, they evolved slender heads and limbs as long as human height, with claws measuring up to 35 cm (14 inches).

Scientists conclude that Megaraptors were more widely distributed than previously thought, first appearing in Asia around 120 million years ago, spreading to Europe, and likely reaching Gondwana (encompassing regions of present-day Africa, South America, and the Southwest).

This suggests that Megaraptors inhabited regions like Europe and Africa, where no fossils had been found before.

They may have adapted differently from their Tyrannosaurus relatives, perhaps utilizing their claws for hunting instead of relying on powerful bites.

In South Gondwana, they could have preyed on small sauropods, while Tyrannosaurus Rex hunted large herbivores such as Triceratops, Edmontosaurus, and Ankylosaurus.

Both Tyrannosaurids and Megaraptors grew to enormous sizes nearly simultaneously as the climate cooled after the Cretaceous thermal peak 92 million years ago.

This rapid growth occurred following the extinction of other giant carnivorous dinosaurs, Carcharodontosaurids, which left a void at the top of the food chain.

The authors suggest that both Tyrannosaurus and Megaraptor could utilize cooler temperatures more effectively than their rival dinosaur groups.

By the end of the dinosaur age, Tyrannosaurus Rex weighed up to 9 tons (similar to very large African elephants and light tanks), while the Megaraptor reached lengths of up to 10 meters.

“Our findings illuminate the emergence of the largest tyrannosaurs in North and South America during the Cretaceous period and how they thrived by the end of the dinosaur epoch,” remarked Charlie Scheller of the University of London.

“They may have achieved their massive size to fill the ecological role left by the similarly large Carcharodontosaurid theropods that went extinct approximately 90 million years ago.”

“This extinction likely removed any ecological barriers that previously constrained the growth of tyrannosaurs.”

“Around 120 million years ago, Megaraptors were part of a diverse array of dinosaur species,” stated Dr. Mauro Alanciagaroland, a paleontologist at the Museum of Natural Sciences and the Bernardino Rivadavia Museum in Argentina.

“As the Cretaceous period progressed and the continents began to drift apart, these predators became increasingly specialized.”

“Such evolutionary shifts prompted them to adapt to more specific habitats.

“In areas like Asia, Megaraptors were ultimately replaced by Tyrannosaurus, but in regions like Australia and Patagonia, they became apex predators, dominating these ecosystems.”

This study is published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

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Cassius Morrison et al. 2025. The Rise of the King: the origins of Gondwanan and the evolution of the Megaraptor dinosaurs. R. Soc. Open Sci. 12(5): 242238; doi: 10.1098/rsos.242238

Source: www.sci.news

Crafting Fashion Accessories Inspired by Real T. Rex Fossils

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Eighty million years ago, the formidable 40-foot-long Tyrannosaurus Rex ruled the earth. Now, it may soon inspire a new kind of wallet.

A team of British researchers and bioengineers is working on high-end clutches and totes made from T. rex skin, cultivated from the fossilized remains of ancient carnivorous creatures.

Their goal is to create sustainable leather by extracting collagen from this colossal dinosaur, known to have roamed North America and Asia about 68 million years ago. If they succeed, it would mark the first instance of leather derived from an extinct species.

The project’s developers assert that their lab-grown materials will be entirely biodegradable and structurally identical to conventional leather. Choi Conon, a professor of tissue engineering at Newcastle University, commented on the initiative.

Conon is also associated with a Biotechnology Company. Lab-grown leather is in collaboration with the Dutch creative agency VML and the genomic engineering firm The Organoid Company.

“This opens the door to designing leather from prehistoric origins,” stated Connon, a key leader in the project.

While Connon and his team are targeting the fashion sector, market data providers Fortune Business Insights predicts that the global leather goods market, valued at $500 billion, could reach $85.5 billion by 2032.

However, experts caution that immediate results may not be forthcoming. The commercialization of lab-grown T. rex leather could be financially prohibitive.

According to Tom Ellis, a professor of synthetic genomic engineering at Imperial College in London, the “gimmick” is still “very early.” He noted, “Our understanding of dinosaur evolution may not be sufficient to design collagen genes specifically from T. rex.”

Ellis emphasized that producing authentic T. rex leather is still a long way off, suggesting that any collagen derived from the project would likely resemble that of cows and chickens.

This means the end product may resemble other alternative leathers. “We’ll offer something unique enough to justify a significantly higher price,” he added.

In theory, scientists can extract collagen gene sequences from various animals, as collagen is the most abundant protein in mammals. Companies like Gelter and modern pastures are already crafting leather-like materials from genetically engineered collagen, producing small batches of premium products.

If achieved, sustainably crafted animal leather could have notable environmental advantages. Currently, most leather is a byproduct of the cattle industry, contributing to deforestation in regions like the Amazon. Additionally, many synthetic and vegan leathers are made from fossil-fuel-derived plastics that are not biologically sustainable. According to the World Wide Fund.

As scientists ponder the potential for dinosaur wallets, fashion enthusiasts should take a moment to consider whether they should indulge in such products.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

New Luddite movement protests AI as robots lose jobs and films are scrapped – Ed Newton Rex

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pictureEarlier this month, the popular lifestyle magazine introduced its new “Fashion and Lifestyle Editor” to its massive social media following. “Ream”At first glance, Reem appeared to be a woman in her twenties who understood both fashion and lifestyle, and was proudly announced as an “AI-enhanced team member” — that is, a fake persona generated by artificial intelligence. Reem would be recommending products to SheerLuxe's ​​followers — in other words, doing the job that SheerLuxe would normally pay a human to do. The reaction was entirely predictable. Indignation“The editorial team hastily issued an apology, saying, ‘I’m sorry, but I’m not sure what to do.'”

This is just the latest in a long line of withdrawals of “inspiring AI projects” that have drawn outrage from those they were meant to inspire. The Prince Charles Cinema in London's Soho cancel In June, it canceled a screening of a film written by AI after patrons loudly protested. Lego was under pressure The company demanded that it remove a series of AI-generated images it had published on its website. Doctor Who had begun experimenting with generative AI, It stopped immediately After a wave of complaints, companies have bought into the AI ​​hype, thinking that adopting AI will help them promote themselves as innovative, completely failing to understand the growing anti-AI sentiment among many customers.

Behind the backlash are a number of concerns about AI. The most fundamental is its impact on human labor. The main impact of using AI in many situations is that it will deprive humans of the opportunity to do the same work. And AI systems will: Exploitation of works Artificial intelligence is training the people it is meant to replace in creative output without paying them. The technology has a tendency to sexualize women, is used to create deep fakes, and is causing tech companies to miss their climate targets, without understanding many of its risks well enough to mitigate them. Naturally, this has not met with universal praise. Hayao Miyazaki, director of world-famous animation studio Studio Ghibli, said: “I’m completely disgusted…” [AI] It is an affront to life itself.”


Members of the activist group Safe Streets Level place cones around a self-driving taxi in San Francisco, California, in July 2023. Photo: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images

Some members of the anti-AI movement Reclaiming the name “Luddite”I come from a tech community where Luddite is considered an insult, but this new movement is proud of the moniker. As Brian Merchant, author of Blood in the Machine, points out, the first Luddites didn't rebel immediately. They called for dialogue and compromise. The new Luddites also want dialogue and compromise. Most recognize that AI is here to stay, and they want a more rational and fair approach to its adoption, not reversal. And it's easy to imagine that they might be more successful than their predecessors. 19th century counterpartThe legendary Ned Ludd had no social media. Downtrodden workers used to be easily ignored. The internet is the greatest organizing tool in history.


Anger toward AI companies is forging unlikely allies. When the Recording Industry Association of America recently sued two AI music-generation companies for “unimaginable copyright infringement,” musicians and fans took to the internet to show their support. “Wow, these AI companies make me want to root for the record companies,” one person wrote. One composer said:To address the new threat of AI, old arguments are being pushed aside: the enemy of my enemy is my friend, as the saying goes.

Some will believe that AI is all about opportunity, all about good, and that it is the next great technological revolution that will free humanity from the dark ages we live in. A speaker at the Tony Blair Institute's Britain's Future Summit a few weeks ago said: Overview Why empowering AI is “the only option for a forward-thinking UK government.” There is some truth to this. Of course, AI has a promise. That promise is largely a creed for now, with AI leaders promising technologies that are at best years away and at worst unrealistic. But there is reason to think that the more optimistic predictions about AI have some real potential. AI may truly change the world, as AI visionaries would have you believe.

But the backlash points out that we can’t ignore real harms today in order to make technological bets on the future. Nintendo They won’t use generative AI. A user on Stack Overflow, a Q&A site for software engineers, wrote: A group revolted After the platform struck a deal to allow OpenAI to remove content to train its models, users began deleting posts or editing them to make them nonsensical. Attacks on driverless taxis They shouted in the streets of San Francisco that they were putting people out of work.

Outside the OpenAI offices in San Francisco, there are frequent groups of protesters holding banners reading “Pause AI.” If AI is left unregulated, this sentiment will only grow. Countries may be tempted to treat AI development as an arms race and forge ahead regardless of the costs. But According to opinion polls, the public We think this is a bad idea, and AI developers and those regulating the emerging AI industry need to listen to the growing backlash against AI.

  • Ed Newton-Rex is the founder of Fairy Training, a nonprofit that certifies generative AI companies that respect the rights of creators, and co-founder of JukeDeck, an AI company that can compose and arrange music.

Source: www.theguardian.com

145 million years ago in Thailand, a distant relative of T. rex roamed the land

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A team of paleontologists from Kasetsart University, Mahasarakham University and Sirindhorn Museum have unearthed three fossilized teeth from a previously unknown non-tyrannosaurid tyrannosauroid dinosaur in northeastern Thailand.

Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the Late Jurassic Phu Kradung Formation, northeastern Thailand. Image courtesy of Chacharin Somboon.

“Tyrannosauroidea is a lineage of theropods, which includes some of the best-known carnivorous dinosaurs. Tyrannosaurus Rex “From the Late Cretaceous of North America.” Dr. Chacharam Ketwetulya Kasetsart University and colleagues.

“They lived primarily on the supercontinent of Laurasia from the Middle Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous.”

“The oldest known species of tyrannosauroids are found in the Middle Jurassic of Europe and Asia, suggesting that this group of theropods originated within Eurasia.”

“Tyrannosauroidea ranged across Asia from the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous, with most Asian tyrannosaurids found in China and Mongolia.”

The three tyrannosauroid teeth examined by the research team were discovered in the Phu Noi area of ​​Khammuang district, Kalasin province, northeastern Thailand.

The specimen dates back to the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period, approximately 145 million years ago.

A basal tyrannosauroid tooth from the Phu Noi region of Thailand. Image courtesy of Chowchuvech others.

“The Phu Noi area is known to be one of the richest sources of Mesozoic vertebrate fossils in Southeast Asia,” the paleontologists said.

“Many species have been unearthed from the site, including freshwater sharks, ray-finned fish, lungfish, amphibians, turtles, crocodylomorphs, pterosaurs and dinosaurs.”

“Three species of dinosaurs have been identified in the Phu Noi area: a metriacanthosaurid theropod, a mamenchisaurid sauropod and a basal neoornithischian. Minimo Cursor.”

“Three of the theropod teeth from the Phu Noi area display unique dental features that distinguish them from previously discovered metriacanthosaurid theropods, including lateral teeth with twisted mesial ridges on the proximal lingual side that extend above the cervical line and interwoven enamel surface textures,” the researchers added.

“Morphological examination and systematic and morphometric analyses reveal that these isolated teeth indicate basal tyrannosauroid relationships, Five colors of the dragon and Proceratosaurus bradleyi From the Jurassic Period.”

“This discovery marks the first report of a tyrannosauroid from the Jurassic of Southeast Asia and contributes to our knowledge of the paleoecology of the lower continent.” Phu Kradung Formation“Our results shed light on the morphological and morphological distribution of tyrannosauroids during the Late Jurassic, and on the paleobiogeographic distribution of tyrannosauroids during the Late Jurassic,” the researchers concluded.

“Furthermore, this study sheds light on the possibility that future excavations and research may uncover new species of dinosaurs in Thailand.”

of study Published in the journal Tropical Natural History.

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W. Chochubek others2024. First discovery of a basal tyrannosauroid in Southeast Asia: dental evidence from the Late Jurassic of northeastern Thailand. Tropical Natural History 24（1） : 84-95

Source: www.sci.news

Huge new tyrannosaurus rex found in New Mexico

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discovery of Tyrannosaurus macraiensissister species of the famous one tyrannosaurus rexsuggests that tyrannosaurid dinosaurs originated from Laramidia, an island continent that existed between 100 million and 66 million years ago and stretched from present-day Alaska to Mexico.

rebuilding the life of Tyrannosaurus McClain. Image credit: Sergey Krasovskiy.

“Tyrannosaur dinosaurs were the dominant predators of North America and Asia during the Late Cretaceous period,” said Dr. Sebastian Dalman of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science and his colleagues.

“Evolved from a diminutive ancestor in the mid-Cretaceous period, became an apex predator in the late Cretaceous period, and eventually tyrannosaurus”

“tyrannosaurusWith a sturdy skeleton and powerful bone-crushing jaws, this animal was the dominant carnivore of the late Maastrichtian period in western North America. ”

“Grows up to 12 meters long and weighs 10 tons, tyrannosaurus It was the largest terrestrial predator of its time, and perhaps of all time. ”

“where and when Tyrannosaurini (tyrannosaurus and relatives) origin remains unknown. Competing hypotheses place its origin in Asia or western North America (Laramidia). ”

The newly identified species is Tyrannosaurus McClainlived in what is now the United States 71 million to 73 million years ago, or 5 million to 7 million years ago. tyrannosaurus.

The fossilized partial skull of this dinosaur was discovered in the Hall Lake Formation in New Mexico.

Although the specimens were initially assigned; tyrannosaurus and its size is tyrannosaurusPaleontologists have proposed that the specimen belongs to a new species, due to several subtle differences in the shape and joints between the specimen and the skull. tyrannosaurus.

Analysis of the relationship between Tyrannosaurus McClain and other theropod dinosaur species. Tyrannosaurus McClain It may have been a sister species of tyrannosaurusmaking it the closest known relative. tyrannosaurus.

The authors suggest that Tyrannosaurini may have originated in southern Laramidia, an island continent that existed between 100 million and 66 million years ago and stretched from present-day Alaska to Mexico.

Additionally, Tyrannosaurus, along with other giant dinosaurs of southern Laramidia such as ceratopsians, hadrosaurs and titanosaurs, may have evolved to large body sizes by about 72 million years ago, the researchers say. is suggesting.

They speculate that the evolution of giant tyrannosaurines may have been driven by the enormous body size of the herbivores they preyed on in southern Laramidia.

“The evolution of giant tyrannosaurs in southern North America suggests that large dinosaurs evolved at lower latitudes in North America, along with giant ceratopsians, hadrosaurs, and titanosaurs.” said.

of study It was published in the magazine scientific report.

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SG Dalman other. 2023. Giant tyrannosaurs that lived in southern North America from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian and the evolution of giant tyrannosaurids. science officer 13, 22124; doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-47011-0

Source: www.sci.news