AssetID: 53693735
Headline: UNCAPTIONED: Scientists Question Claim That T. Rex Was as Smart as Modern Monkeys
Caption: 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.", "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. THIS VIDEO MUST NOT BE EDITED FOR LENGTH TO COMBINE WITH OTHER CONTENT
Keywords: Scientists,Question,Claim,T.Rex,Smart,Modern,Monkeys,Tyrannosaurus rex,Journal,Comparative Neurology,Neurons,Published,Intelligence,Study,Animal,Animals,Nature
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