Scientists discover one of the oldest horned dinosaurs
Scientists have found fossils belonging to a previously undiscovered dinosaur in Canada that roamed the Earth more than 79 million years ago. The dinosaur, Wendiceratops pinhornensis, is one of the oldest known horned dinosaurs and a relative of the Triceratops. In appearance, the relation between the Triceratops and the new dino is pretty apparent. Wendiceratops has the same frill around its neck and big horns both above its eyes and over its nose. Scientists believe the horns may have helped to attract mates.
Scientists say that the new dinosaur discovery will help them understand the evolution of the dinosaur family that includes Triceratops. "It's a significant discovery in that it tells us a lot of new information about the early evolution of skull ornamentation, the hooks and horns, that characterize this iconic group of dinosaurs," Royal Ontario Museum paleontologist David Evans told NPR. While just a few decades ago, scientists only knew of 25 to 30 horned dinos, NPR reports that the number has now doubled to more than 60, and "new ones keep turning up all the time."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'On arrival, workers faced a system of racial segregation'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What's the future of FEMA under Trump?
Today's Big Question The president has lambasted the agency and previously floated disbanding it altogether
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
5 helpful items to have at the ready when the power goes out
The Week Recommends Be prepared so you can stay plugged in
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
Europe records big leap in renewable energy
Speed Read Solar power overtook coal for the first time
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Blue Origin conducts 1st test flight of massive rocket
Speed Read The Jeff Bezos-founded space company conducted a mostly successful test flight of its 320-foot-tall New Glenn rocket
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US won its war on 'murder hornets,' officials say
Speed Read The announcement comes five years after the hornets were first spotted in the US
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Dark energy data suggest Einstein was right
Speed Read Albert Einstein's 1915 theory of general relativity has been proven correct, according to data collected by the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
New DNA tests of Pompeii dead upend popular stories
Speed Read An analysis of skeletal remains reveals that some Mount Vesuvius victims have been wrongly identified
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
NASA's Europa Clipper blasts off, seeking an ocean
Speed Read The ship is headed toward Jupiter on a yearslong journey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Detailed map of fly's brain holds clues to human mind
Speed Read This remarkable fruit fly brain analysis will aid in future human brain research
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Blind people will listen to next week's total eclipse
Speed Read While they can't see the event, they can hear it with a device that translates the sky's brightness into music
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published