A single Tyrannosaurus rex needed 42.4 square miles to live on

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There is a lot you can learn about extinct animals from fossils. Tyrannosaurus rex, the mighty king of the lizards, is one of the most extensively studied dinosaurs to have ever lived, but until now researchers have struggled to learn about their behavior, ecology and population density.

In a paper published on Thursday, a team of UC Berkeley researchers describe a new method that can fill in some of these blanks. By combining research about the size and metabolism of T. rex with a modern theory on the population density of living animals, the group of paleontologists was able to estimate how many T. rex roamed the Earth at once and how many ever existed.

This week we also liked articles about how plants communicate with one another, the art of naming legislation and what surviving COVID-19 may do to someone’s long-term health.

Daniel Merino

Assistant Editor: Science, Health, Environment; Co-Host: The Conversation Weekly Podcast

Tyrannosaurus rex spanned all of ancient North America, and about 20,000 lived at once. 1Ado123/Wikimedia Commons

How many Tyrannosaurus rex walked the Earth?

Ashley Poust, University of California, Berkeley; Daniel Varajão de Latorre, University of California, Berkeley

Using the incredible wealth of fossil data and a modern ecological theory, researchers estimated population density for the extinct apex predator.

Longleaf pines support one another through mycorrhizae – mutually beneficial relationships between certain fungi and the trees’ roots. Justin Meissen/Flickr

Plants thrive in a complex world by communicating, sharing resources and transforming their environments

Beronda L. Montgomery, Michigan State University

We may think of plants as passive life forms, but they can cooperate, share resources, send one another warnings, and distance themselves from their communities when survival depends on it.

Biden isn’t the first politician to slap a catchy, but perhaps inaccurate, name on legislation. Evan Vucci/AP

Infrastructure? Or jobs? Controversy over name of Biden proposal highlights long tradition in politics

Angela Bradbery, University of Florida

Consider the bill known as the Stark Naked Act of 1997, one of many pieces of legislation with curious, perhaps manipulative, names.

Prolonged brain dysfunction in COVID-19 survivors: A pandemic in its own right?

Chris Robinson, University of Florida

COVID-19 survivors often experience physical symptoms for months after their initial symptoms abate. Now, a large study shows that even more suffer from psychiatric and brain issues.
6 ways recent college graduates can enhance their online job search

Jason Eckert, University of Dayton

Despite bleak employment outlooks, college graduates can take some simple steps to boost their chances of finding a job, a veteran career services counselor says.
You’re not imagining it – 3 ways COVID-19 has been extra hard on American parents

Steven Greene, North Carolina State University; Laurel Elder, Hartwick College

Since the pandemic began, parents have had to negotiate their own workplace demands and other responsibilities with around-the-clock child care responsibilities.

A single Tyrannosaurus rex needed 42.4 square miles to live on

How many Tyrannosaurus rex walked the Earth?

Plants thrive in a complex world by communicating, sharing resources and transforming their environments

Infrastructure? Or jobs? Controversy over name of Biden proposal highlights long tradition in politics

Prolonged brain dysfunction in COVID-19 survivors: A pandemic in its own right?

6 ways recent college graduates can enhance their online job search

You’re not imagining it – 3 ways COVID-19 has been extra hard on American parents

80% of fatal e-scooter crashes involve cars – new study reveals where and why most collisions occur

MLB’s decision to drop Atlanta highlights the economic power companies can wield over lawmakers – when they choose to

French row over mosque isn’t simply about state financing – it runs deep into Islamophobia and French secularism

What former foster children went through when the COVID-19 pandemic closed college campuses

Compassionate courage moves beyond ‘cancel culture’ to challenge systemic racism – but it’s hard work

As extreme fires transform Alaska’s boreal forest, more aspen and birch are coming in – that can slow fires and their climate impact

What inspired digital nomads to flee America’s big cities may spur legions of remote workers to do the same

Older messages

Water wars at the Supreme Court

Catholic bishops could complicate vaccine distribution

It's hard to know how many QAnon believers there are

Climate change is testing plants' ability to adapt

Pandemic laid many college sports teams to rest

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