66-million-year-old fossil unlocks new T rex discovery

WorldEnvironment
8 Jul 2025 • 4:56 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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  • Scientists have gained fresh insights into how dinosaurs healed from injuries by studying preserved blood vessel structures found in a rib bone from Scotty, the world's largest known Tyrannosaurus rex.
  • The structures were discovered inside a rib from Scotty, who was unearthed in Saskatchewan, Canada, in the 1990s.
  • Researchers used advanced techniques, including X-ray scans, 3D modelling, and chemical analysis, to study the 66-million-year-old fossil without damaging it.
  • The preserved blood vessel structures were found in an area of Scotty's rib that showed signs of a healed fracture, likely sustained during a fight with another dinosaur.
  • This discovery offers important insights into the healing capabilities of T rex and provides a new method to compare injury healing in extinct animals with living species.

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