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Sexual Identification of A Rex Fossil
Rollie Hawk writes "The Tyrannosaurus rex has long been the darling of science fiction dinosaurs and has one of the most well-known skeletal designs among extinct creatures. But while even the most casual dinosaur enthusiast can identify the T. rex, until recently the sex of individual specimens was not discernable. Though dinosaurs are most known for their traits shared with modern reptiles, it is their kinship with birds that has finally revealed the sex of a T. rex fossil. To prepare for egg production, female birds develop a thick layer of medullary bone in their long bones, which acts as an extra source of eggshell calcium. According to Dr. Mary H. Schweitzer of North Carolina State University, the 'tyrant lizard king' appears to do the same thing. She explains that 'dinosaurs produced and shelled their eggs much more like modern birds than like modern crocodiles.'"
They had sex? That would be some funny pr0n!
We need to send Steve Irwin back in time, then we would learn all about dinosaur sex when he tries to molest them and gets eaten, that would have to be the best episode of the croc hunter ever.
Then again, if I were a male T-Rex, my DNA would have been all over the place. Nudge nudge.
That's understandable. They didn't have kleenex tissues back then.
"I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
Heh... I thought they gained the ability from a writer who needed to move the plot along.
This means we can rest easy knowing that there will be NO accidental same sex marriages between Tyrannosaurs!
Call the White House and Tom Delay.
"Rocky Rococo, at your cervix!"
I thought they were supposed to be studying T-Rex bones, not T-Rex boners.
Hal Spacejock: Science Fiction with Nuts
Even then, finding medullary bone is a long shot, Schweitzer said. First the dinosaur has to be an ovulating female. It also has to die before it has finished laying eggs and has to be fossilized. Finally, that fossil has to be found by humans.
That last part is certainly a long shot for any bones lying undiscovered in a museum somewhere.
and slashdot needs to reverse the polarity to get rid of the feedback loop like other sites.