Mini T. Rex Could Be Missing Link

A private owner has donated a fossil that could change the way we think about Tyrannosaurus and their development.

Some scientists believed the T.Rex evolved to its enormous size, then its arms shrank, when they were no longer needed. The new discovery, though, shows that the tiny-armed killing machine may have evolved from a much smaller killing-machine-with-tiny-arms. This totally rearranges the previous T.Rex evolution paradigm.

The 125 million-year-old fossil dinosaur, unearthed in China and dubbed Raptorex kriegsteini, is "as close to the proverbial missing link on a lineage as we might ever get for tyrannosaurs," Sereno said.

Link

(As a special bonus, check out the religious debate in the comments.)

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by HeartlessMachine.

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Neat-o! Unfortunately, the headline kind of threw gasoline on one "creationist's" fire, implying "surprise." T.rex's tiny forelimbs have always been a bit of a mystery, and the hypothesis that it evolved from a smaller form with proportionally longer forelimbs makes sense. But any palaeontologist will freely admit that no evidence had been found that confirms that hypothesis. This fossil is certainly interesting and important, and should be taken into account when re-evaluating the hypothesis. But it doesn't necessarily blow it out of the water. Tyrannosauroids very likely lived in forested areas, and thus their fossils are rare as fossils go. We're still a long way from getting a clear picture of their development. I don't really think any palaeontologist was "surprised," though, in the sense that at least one detractor assumed. (He seems to think that scientists are "know-it-alls" who are surprised at every new discovery because they actually know nothing.) After all, flightless birds come in a wide range of sizes, so it's entirely possible that stubby-forelimbed dinos came in different sizes as well.

It's sad to see so many loudmouthed people vehemently defending their literal interpretation of a creation myth in the name of religion. This discovery has zero to do with religion. And of course the little 'roid's fossil was found among fish & clam fossils --- It was a complete skeleton, well-preserved, which means it was buried in mud immediately rather than left in the open. Being a land animal, it most likely died in a flash flood and was swept downstream. This does not support a "universal deluge" myth.

Further proof that logic needs to be taught in school.