A new study led by UCL researchers reveals that Tyrannosaurus rex, one of the most iconic dinosaurs, evolved in North America but descended from ancestors that migrated from Asia over 70 million years ago. The study also connects T. rex’s enormous size to global cooling after a major climatic peak 92 million years ago. As other predators died out, tyrannosaurids and megaraptors seized the ecological opportunity, growing larger and dominating their ecosystems. This research reshapes our understanding of dinosaur evolution and the role of climate change.
