News

Actions

Tiny T. rex arms explained by science

Iconic dinosaur apparently didn't use arms often
Posted

CHICAGO (AP) — It turns out The Field Museum's T. rex Sue didn't use those tiny arms very much.

At least that's the initial conclusion from a detailed look at the fossil's right forelimb at the Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago. Researchers there used a scan to generate a 3-D image of the arm bones down to the cellular level.

Final results will take months or years.

Pete Makovicky is associate curator of dinosaurs at the Chicago museum. He said Thursday there "aren't many signs of stress on the bones that would indicate frequent use."

But, he adds, there's still a lot to learn.

Precisely why T. rex had forelimbs is one of the enduring mysteries of dinosaur paleontology. The Field says it will share the results of the study when they're available.

,

Weather

Daily Forecast

View Hourly Forecast

Day

Conditions

HI / LO

Precip

Sunday

03/01/2026

Mostly Cloudy

-° / 55°

13%

Monday

03/02/2026

Partly Cloudy

67° / 50°

7%

Tuesday

03/03/2026

Mostly Clear

72° / 49°

8%

Wednesday

03/04/2026

Partly Cloudy

68° / 46°

8%

Thursday

03/05/2026

Clear

65° / 44°

3%

Friday

03/06/2026

Clear

70° / 46°

3%

Saturday

03/07/2026

Clear

75° / 49°

2%

Sunday

03/08/2026

Mostly Clear

79° / 51°

3%