Discovery of a North American apex predator 16 million years older than Tyrannosaurus rex.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/feb/10/reaper-of-death-t-rex-dinosaur-species-canada:
Scientists in Canada have announced the discovery of a new species of dinosaur closely related to Tyrannosaurus rex that strode the plain of North America about 80m years ago.
Thanatotheristes degrootorum – Greek for "reaper of death" – is thought to be the oldest member of the T rex family yet discovered in northern North America, and would have grown to around 8m (26ft) in length.
"We chose a name that embodies what this tyrannosaur was as the only known large apex predator of its time in Canada, the reaper of death," said Darla Zelenitsky, assistant professor of dinosaur palaeobiology at Canada's University of Calgary.
"The nickname has come to be Thanatos[*]," she told AFP.
[*] From Wikipedia: Thanatos.
Journal Reference:
Voris, Jared T.; Therrien, Francois; Zelenitzky, Darla K.; Brown, Caleb M. (2020). A new tyrannosaurine (Theropoda:Tyrannosauridae) from the Campanian Foremost Formation of Alberta, Canada, provides insight into the evolution and biogeography of tyrannosaurids. Cretaceous Research: 104388. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104388.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday February 12 2020, @12:42AM
They still haven't found the Grim Reaper, have they?
(Score: 2) by arslan on Wednesday February 12 2020, @01:19AM (3 children)
I sense a fat momma joke in there somewhere...
(Score: 3, Funny) by kazzie on Wednesday February 12 2020, @07:54AM (2 children)
I was expecting some thing more along the lines of "I am Degroot" .
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday February 12 2020, @05:23PM
How about your Momma is so slow, she got Thantotheristes degrootorumed?
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by arslan on Wednesday February 12 2020, @11:07PM
Nah, try this: Your momma so gassy she ripped a doozy that went back in time and killed all the dinos.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 12 2020, @01:56AM (5 children)
80 milli-years is not 80 million years.
80m years is about a month ago
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday February 12 2020, @02:03AM (3 children)
I'm going to blame the UK boffins for this.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 4, Funny) by mhajicek on Wednesday February 12 2020, @04:36AM (1 child)
Should have used imperial years to avoid confusion.
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 4, Funny) by kazzie on Wednesday February 12 2020, @07:53AM
Those are only good for infinite periods. "Sun never sets" , etc...
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday February 12 2020, @04:08PM
As opposed to the boffins that aren't British...?
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0, Redundant) by khallow on Wednesday February 12 2020, @10:41AM
Except, of course, when it is.