Tyrannosaurus rex had warm blood, study finds
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, determined that the Tyrannosaurus rex, a dinosaur that lived over 60 million years ago, maintained a body temperature of around 36 degrees Celsius.
The scientists used a geochemical method, refined over a decade, to estimate the dinosaur’s internal temperature by examining fossilized teeth.
Previous attempts to use this method required too much fossil material for museums to donate, but the team reduced the necessary amount by 90 percent and secured samples from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. The team analyzed the enamel of the teeth, focusing on chemical bonds between rare carbon and oxygen isotopes. The frequency of these bonds indicates temperature, with fewer bonds suggesting warmer temperatures.
This analysis provided the first direct measurement of the T. rex’s body temperature, confirming suspicions from growing evidence that the dinosaur was warm-blooded. The findings suggest the T. rex was evolving from cold-blooded reptiles towards warm-blooded birds, supporting the idea that it was an active predator or scavenger capable of surviving in colder climates. The discovery is further supported by T. rex fossils found in Alaska, a location where cold-adapted animals would have been necessary for survival.
