Bizarre & wonderful · Earlier selection
Fossil teeth put T. rex’s temperature close to our own
Chemical measurements of fossil tooth enamel suggest a Tyrannosaurus rex body temperature of about 36°C, UCLA researchers report.
The study, announced on 16 September, uses bonds between rare carbon and oxygen isotopes as a record of the temperature at which enamel formed. It adds evidence to the debate about dinosaur metabolism. The number is an estimate from fossil chemistry, not a direct reading from a living animal.
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