The 120-year search for the purpose of T. rex's arms

Re:The 120-year search for the purpose of T. rex's arms by Mikeb85 on Wednesday October 26, 2022 @04:43PM (#33349136)

Or maybe there is no purpose, which is why, through natural selection, they ended up with tiny arms.

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Re:The 120-year search for the purpose of T. rex's arms by Beltalowda on Wednesday October 26, 2022 @06:27PM (#33350453)

The thing is that they seem to have been quite strong, and didn't really diminish further over time (insofar the fossils we have can tell us), which doesn't really fit with being purely vestigial.

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Re:The 120-year search for the purpose of T. rex's arms by rhdunn on Saturday October 29, 2022 @05:31AM (#33382442)

I wonder if the strength was to help pin down struggling prey. The small arms would then be designed for aerodynamics -- to not slow the T. rex down when running toward its prey -- but also help out when capturing it. That would prevent them diminishing further over time and find that optimal length for both competing requirements.

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Re:The 120-year search for the purpose of T. rex's arms by kibwen on Saturday October 29, 2022 @08:58AM (#33383661)

The article mentions this possibility.

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Re:The 120-year search for the purpose of T. rex's arms by Tagbert on Saturday October 29, 2022 @01:47PM (#33386313)

It wasn’t just T. rex that had reduced arms size. Other similar species evolved the small arms, too, so it wasn’t just a fluke.

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Re:The 120-year search for the purpose of T. rex's arms by ctf1er on Sunday October 30, 2022 @04:03AM (#33392250)

> so it wasn’t just a fluke

or gills

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