Scientists Question Claim That T. Rex Was as Smart as Modern Monkeys
- 12 days ago
Scientists Question Claim , That T. Rex Was as Smart, as Modern Monkeys.
'Gizmodo' reports that a team of researchers
recently investigated claims that the Tyrannosaurus rex
could have been as smart as monkeys.
Last year, a paper was published in the journal
'Comparative Neurology,' which claimed that theropods like
Tyrannosaurus rex had a “monkey-like” numbers of neurons.
According to that paper, this would have made
the Tyrannosaurus rex "not only giant but also
long-lived and endowed with flexible cognition.”.
The new paper specifically referenced the previous paper
and argues that theropods probably had “significantly
lower neuron counts than previously proposed.".
According to the team, neuron count
and brain size are “flawed” proxies for
measuring an ancient species’ intelligence.
We argue that it’s not good
practice to predict intelligence
in extinct species when neuron
counts reconstructed from
endocasts are all we have to go on, Kai Caspar, a biologist at Heinrich Heine University
Düsseldorf and the study’s lead author, via 'Gizmodo'.
The possibility that T. rex might
have been as intelligent as a baboon
is fascinating and terrifying,
with the potential to reinvent
our view of the past, Darren Naish, Paleozoologist at the University of
Southampton and co-author of the paper, via 'Gizmodo'.
The possibility that T. rex might
have been as intelligent as a baboon
is fascinating and terrifying,
with the potential to reinvent
our view of the past, Darren Naish, Paleozoologist at the University of
Southampton and co-author of the paper, via 'Gizmodo'.
But our study shows how
all the data we have is against
this idea. They were more
like smart giant crocodiles,
and that’s just as fascinating, Darren Naish, Paleozoologist at the University of
Southampton and co-author of the paper, via 'Gizmodo'.
'Gizmodo' reports that even if Tyrannosaurus rex
wasn't as intelligent as a modern monkey,
it was still a terrifying creature. .
The fearsome predator also has an outsized
presence in popular culture, leading theropods
to attract a high degree of interest.
'Gizmodo' reports that a team of researchers
recently investigated claims that the Tyrannosaurus rex
could have been as smart as monkeys.
Last year, a paper was published in the journal
'Comparative Neurology,' which claimed that theropods like
Tyrannosaurus rex had a “monkey-like” numbers of neurons.
According to that paper, this would have made
the Tyrannosaurus rex "not only giant but also
long-lived and endowed with flexible cognition.”.
The new paper specifically referenced the previous paper
and argues that theropods probably had “significantly
lower neuron counts than previously proposed.".
According to the team, neuron count
and brain size are “flawed” proxies for
measuring an ancient species’ intelligence.
We argue that it’s not good
practice to predict intelligence
in extinct species when neuron
counts reconstructed from
endocasts are all we have to go on, Kai Caspar, a biologist at Heinrich Heine University
Düsseldorf and the study’s lead author, via 'Gizmodo'.
The possibility that T. rex might
have been as intelligent as a baboon
is fascinating and terrifying,
with the potential to reinvent
our view of the past, Darren Naish, Paleozoologist at the University of
Southampton and co-author of the paper, via 'Gizmodo'.
The possibility that T. rex might
have been as intelligent as a baboon
is fascinating and terrifying,
with the potential to reinvent
our view of the past, Darren Naish, Paleozoologist at the University of
Southampton and co-author of the paper, via 'Gizmodo'.
But our study shows how
all the data we have is against
this idea. They were more
like smart giant crocodiles,
and that’s just as fascinating, Darren Naish, Paleozoologist at the University of
Southampton and co-author of the paper, via 'Gizmodo'.
'Gizmodo' reports that even if Tyrannosaurus rex
wasn't as intelligent as a modern monkey,
it was still a terrifying creature. .
The fearsome predator also has an outsized
presence in popular culture, leading theropods
to attract a high degree of interest.