T. rex didn't stomp, it walked on tiptoes like a bird

T. rex hunted for prey but wasn't above scavenging rotting meat

Despite possessing a huge head full of serrated teeth the size of rail spikes, the Tyrannosaurus rex had puny, rigid arms, and scientists think it enjoyed scavenging.

Uncovering the evolution of history's largest dinosaurs

This article details how sauropods—the dinosaurs that Little Foot would call longnecks—repeatedly evolved to attain such colossal sizes, towering over other land critters, including tyrannosaurs and mammoths. Sauropods were giant, long-necked...

Estimates say 2.5 billion total T. rexes lived on Earth

Roughly 68 million years ago, the Tyrannosaurus rex was king of the North American ecosystem. Researchers used the dinosaur's size, metabolic rate, age of sexual maturity, and other factors to determine 20,000 individuals likely were alive at any given time, more than 120,000 20-year generations. This piece breaks down how they arrived at those numbers.

Watch animations of the creation and excavation of dinosaur tracks

The discovery of a dinosaur trackway in the UK emerged from a controlled explosion that removed limestone from an Oxfordshire quarry. The footprints provide unique insights into dinosaur behavior and movement, with marine fossils suggesting a lagoon-like environment.

Unlike the roars in movies, dinosaurs likely cooed, rumbled, and boomed

Fossil evidence and CT scans suggest that many dinosaurs produced low-frequency sounds using resonating crests, closed-mouth vocalizations, or organs similar to those of birds and crocodiles. Larger sounds would not have been helpful for sneakily hunting prey.

Dinosaurs’ feathers and greater metabolism helped them survive polar conditions

Studies of dinosaur footprints alongside ice-deposited rock fragments indicate that early dinosaurs adapted to cold weather before the volcanic winters of the Triassic-Jurassic extinction event. These geological events helped dinosaurs to flourish by wiping out their amphibious competitors.

Mammals thrived under the feet of dinosaurs

An explosion of fossil finds reveals that ancient mammals evolved a wide variety of adaptations allowing them to exploit the skies, rivers and underground lairs.

Why have birds never become as large as a T. rex?

Birds are descended from dinosaurs, but none have ever reached the gigantic size of their Jurassic ancestors. Some birds in the fossil record, like the "terror birds" of South America, have reached as large as ten feet, but the energy-intensive act of flying disallows birds much larger than that. Researchers claim a lack of evolutionary pressure and predatory bird behavior likely limit bird size.

Dinosaurs suffered from cancer, arthritis, and infections seen in modern animals

Using CT scans and advanced pathology techniques, paleopathologists have identified respiratory illnesses, malignant osteosarcoma, and other diseases in dinosaurs. The research has helped show how many of these ailments are not exclusively modern phenomena.

Spinosaurus had the weirdest dinosaur tail of all time

A new fossil of one of the most unusual dinosaurs, Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, suggests it was a swimming predator powered by a fin-like tail.

Dinosaur portrayals in film mistakenly limit them to only living in tropical climates

The ancient creatures have been brought to life in cinema by combining animatronics and CGI. However, creative liberties have created misconceptions about dinosaurs for audiences, including that the Tyrannosaurus rex could not see stationary prey.

Ballistic experiments show that tardigrades are unlikely to be an alien species

Those fired from guns at speeds as high as 825 meters per second (1,845 mph) could be resuscitated after impact. Shock pressure from greater speeds tore apart the samples, suggesting they could not survive asteroid impacts if brought to Earth from outer space.

Why scientists are making robot insects

Insects have much to teach us about flying, jumping, moving quickly, and more. So, roboticists are studying how insects do the ridiculous things they do, like walk on water or jump fifty times their body height, to inform their design and engineering of a new slate of robots: tiny ones. Learn the future of this type of robot with this fascinating video with insights into both insects and robots.

Kangaroos evolved exceptionally thick knee cartilage to absorb shock

There is significant conflict in the medical field regarding chronic arthritis. Some advocate for keeping the joint as active as possible while others argue progressive overuse leads to worsening arthritis. To settle the score, scientists have looked outside the human population, discovering kangaroos rarely suffer from arthritis in their knees.

Why you have to airlift rhinos upside down

Conservationists in Namibia have found that airlifting rhinos upside down is actually better for their health than lying them down on stretchers. A study by Cornell University found that rhinos have higher blood oxygen levels when upside down, which is critical for their survival during transport. The upside-down position also allows the rhino's spine to relax, which can help to prevent injuries. This new finding could revolutionize the way that rhinos are moved.

Were humans the only hominin to walk upright?

When you imagine the line human evolution has taken, you might picture the March of Progress, an image of several chimp-like ancestors marching toward the implied final form: the upright bipedal Homo sapiens. Turns out this image, popularized in the...

Oxygen and nutrients are circulated in tardigrade bodies through physical movement

Rather than having a circulatory system, oxygen is directly absorbed through their skin and spreads through a fluid called hemolymph as tardigrades crawl. When molting to grow, they shed their outer skin and stylets—sharp mouth parts used to pierce prey—which are regrown in their salivary glands.

Humans won't develop more than 5 fingers because it would impact too many body parts

All modern animals have five or fewer digits on each of their limbs. Roughly 348 million years ago, at least two species had eight: the Ichthyostega and the Acanthostega. According to Dollo's law, complex evolved features are very unlikely to recur in evolution. Researchers believe humans won't develop more than five digits because it would impact other body parts too much.

Neanderthal stereotypes fall flat in the face of evidence, advocates argue

Picture a Neanderthal in all their knuckle-dragging, loin cloth-wearing glory. Now, throw that picture away. This article dives into the rising tide of academic advocates for Neanderthals, a human ancestor that went extinct about 40,000 years ago.

Prosthetics and orthotics have been 3D printed to improve the lives of animals

Shells for hermit crabs, wheelchairs for guinea pigs and dogs, and horseshoes for improved running performance have been created using 3D printers. Other artificial body parts made using this technology include a jaw for a loggerhead turtle, a beak for a toucan, and a tail for an American alligator.

De-extinction techniques create new species from existing organisms

Rather than recovering a genetic sample of a lost species and editing it with that of living creature—as has been depicted in science fiction—scientists begin with living cells from close genetic relatives and use tools like CRISPR to swap in extinct versions of specific traits to create new hybrid species.

Ticks survived 27 years in a lab, including eight without food

Research published in 2022 set a new record for tick longevity. A group of adult African ticks that are normally found in eastern and southern Africa lived in a laboratory for 27 years, including eight without food. What's more, one of the females laid eggs at least four years after the last male died. Most ticks, on average, reportedly live for six months to three years.

Turtles' sense of direction comes from sensitivity to Earth's magnetic field and wave movement

Female sea turtles use this ability to migrate hundreds of kilometers across the ocean from their feeding grounds to the beaches where they were born to lay their eggs. Researchers have found that these turtles can reach these beaches despite ending up significantly off course as they detour away from predators or toward foraging territories.

Tiptoe, an adorable blue reindeer, became Macy’s new mascot in 2021

Move over Rudolph—there’s a new reindeer in town. And just like the red-nosed reindeer, this one was also created by a department store. An article explains Tiptoe’s origin story, and the business implications of the new mascot.

Some Nike shoes are actually making runners too fast

In 2018, Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge lowered the world marathon record to 2:01:39 in a pair of Nike Vaporflys. The unusually thick running shoes sparked controversy around the shoe regulations for professional runners.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

Crows are believed to have intelligence on par with a seven-year-old child and demonstrate complex behaviors, from problem-solving with tools to recognizing human faces.

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

The animatronic shark from Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws,' the first modern blockbuster, was a complex underwater apparatus called 'Bruce.'

After 25 people used virtual reality headsets to practice flying with virtual wings—flapping their arms—their visual cortex responded to the wings almost as if they were real arms, treating them as body parts.

Exploring the Larry Bird punch that almost changed March Madness

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

See these 16 pieces of art evoking phobias of snakes, flying, spiders, and more. 

In 1984, Operation Smash Hit intentionally crashed a 239-ton train into a nuclear waste canister at 100 miles per hour to prove the canister's safety, which remained completely intact and lost just 0.29 of its 100 pounds of pressure.

The American cockroach is actually from Africa, an apparent hitchhiker aboard ships carrying enslaved people, with evidence suggesting the bug may have arrived in the New World as early as the 1600s.

Scientists testing how climate change affects plants found, in a years-long simulation study, that poison ivy grew 70% faster with the resulting extra carbon dioxide.

Fast-casual restaurant Chili's is experiencing a resurgence, with its parent company recently reporting a nearly 32% increase in sales, thanks to passionate Gen Z fans on TikTok.

Watch how algorithms can be designed to train themselves and self-improve without human input, to the point where the optimized code is too complex for programmers to understand.

Dorothy's famous entrance into Oz in 'The Wizard of Oz' relied on analog tricks, including a body double and sepia-toned paint, as much as it did on technology

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

In 1963, a basement renovation in Turkey revealed a passageway to a hidden, multilevel underground city that once housed as many as 20,000 people

The deadliest aspect of volcanic eruptions is often not lava, but pyroclastic flows—avalanches of ash, gas, and rock that can move more than half the speed of sound.

While the first exchange-traded fund (a 'basket' of different assets that can be bought and sold on a stock exchange) in the US only launched in 1993, the global ETF market has grown to more than $10T in the short time since.

Double world record holder Hunter Ewen helped conquer his fear of balloons, called globophobia, by training to win Guinness World Record titles for balloon inflation.

Explore the known asteroids, comets, and spacecraft involved in asteroid studies within our solar system with 'Eyes on Asteroids,' a 3D visualization from NASA.

Massive blooms of microscopic plankton called dinoflagellates produce the neon blue light seen in glowing tides.

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

The Ramones' 'Pet Sematary,' the theme song for the Stephen King novel of the same name, was written while the band was admiring the writer's collection of horror memorabilia.

See how Budweiser's famous Clydesdales spend their days at Warm Springs Ranch, where roughly 70 to 80 of the beer brand's giant horses can be found at any given time.

Some coin denominations have ridges etched on their sides, partly to prevent counterfeiting, in a practice called 'reeding.'