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A dinosaur known only from a partial skull has been dubbed Tyrannosaurus mcraensis. Plus: ancient cities discovered in the Amazon.

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Sergei Krasinski

New Tyrannosaurus

The partial skull of a dinosaur found 40 years ago has now been identified as a new species of Tyrannosaurus - and perhaps the closest relative of Tyrannosaurus rex. The research adds a new twist to a long-running debate about how many species of tyrannosaurs there were and could help to clarify how the iconic predator evolved. Researchers estimate that the dinosaur - dubbed Tyrannosaurus mcraeensis - was about 12 metres long, comparable in size to T. rex, but it lived about 4 million years earlier. And while T. rex had prominent ridges on its brows and broad jaws, the ridges on T. mcraeensis were less well developed and its skull more slender. Read more

Lost cities

Aerial surveys reveal the largest pre-colonial cities in the Amazon that have been discovered so far, linked by an extensive network of roads. “The settlements are much bigger than others in the Amazon,” says Stéphen Rostain at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Paris. “They are comparable with Maya sites.” What’s more, at between 3000 and 1500 years old, these cities are older than other pre-Columbian cities discovered in the Amazon. Why the people who built them disappeared is not clear. Read more

The breathtaking advances in artificial intelligence and a growing urgency to find climate change solutions are set to dominate headlines in 2024. Stay ahead with New Scientist for just $1.50 a week and let us guide you through the coming year. 

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• Renewable energy: 2023 saw record growth in clean energy sources but it isn’t fast enough.

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• Hot numbats: The marsupial is overheating as temperatures rise in Australia.

NASA, ESA, CSA, STSCI and ERO Production Team

There were some exciting goings-on in astrophysics last year, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of New Hampshire. “The one that probably got the most attention was the question of whether NASA’s latest flagship observatory, aka JWST or what I like to call the Just Wonderful Space Telescope, had upended what we know about the timeline of galaxy formation. The hints that there might be a problem with our understanding of how galaxies take shape came almost as soon as JWST started returning data. What a time to be an astrophysicist.” Read more

In the footsteps of Alexander von Humboldt: Ecuador

16 August 2024 | 11 days 

Explore Ecuador's stunning natural wonders, including the Amazon and Cloud Forest, and follow in the footsteps of ecologist Alexander von Humboldt.

Roland Knapp at the University of California, Santa Barbara, on the fungus that tore through frog populations, before we saw a small victory against the outbreak. 

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Alexandra Thompson

Assistant News Editor, New Scientist
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