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The T. rex had a body temperature similar humans, study finds

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Associated Press. (2026, September 17). The T. rex had a body temperature similar humans, study finds. New York Post. https://nypost.com/2026/09/17/science/the-t-rex-had-a-body-temperature-similar-humans-study-finds/

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New York Post · collected 2026-09-17 · by Associated Press

Quick Summary

Scientists used fossilized teeth to measure the body temperature of Tyrannosaurus rex, finding it was about 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius). This is similar to modern elephants and within the range of human body temperatures. The study, published in Science Advances, challenges previous theories by providing concrete evidence that T. rex was warm-blooded and could maintain a stable internal temperature across different climates. Researchers suggest this finding may help understand how T. rex lived and hunted for prey.
Written by AI on 2026-09-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Scientists have successfully measured the body temperature of Tyrannosaurus rex using fossilized teeth, revealing it to be around 36.3°C (97.3°F), similar to humans and modern warm-blooded animals like elephants. Researchers at UCLA used a technique called clumped isotope analysis, which examines how heavy isotopes of carbon and oxygen bond within the tooth enamel based on body temperature. This method provides direct evidence that T. rex was likely warm-blooded, capable of high-energy predatory behavior across various climates, from ancient floodplains to cooler regions. The study, published in Science Advances, confirms previous theories suggesting that dinosaurs like T. rex were not cold-blooded and sluggish but instead had the ability to control their body temperature.

Written for “T Rex Body Temperature Revealed” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 T Rex Body Temperature Revealed
Science · 3 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

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This article reads unscored and hedges 33% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
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Hedges 3 of 27 claims Outlet record 59/100
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Hedges 7 of 26 claims Outlet record 60/100
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
33%
7 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Science
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-18 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 16017 article(s) · 35 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 35 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Associated Press
614 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Wire or desk byline, not an individual reporter.
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Topics

Johns Hopkins University Morning Report NEW YORK Science Advances the University of California, Los Angeles

Subjects

Aradhna Tripati PERSON · 1× Jasmina Wiemann PERSON · 1× Johns Hopkins University ORG · 1× Morning Report ORG · 1× NEW YORK GPE · 1× Robert Eagle PERSON · 1× Science Advances ORG · 1× Tripati ORG · 1× Wiemann PERSON · 1× the University of California, Los Angeles ORG · 1×

Narrative

That’s similar to modern elephants and not too far from the average body temperature of humans, which ranges from 97 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit (36 to 37 degrees Celsius).
framing: mixed · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-18
🔮 Later findings challenged that, suggesting that older dinosaurs were warm-blooded and could control their body temperature.
2026-09-18 · New York Post
The T. rex had a body temperature similar humans, study finds · mixed framing

Claims (21 extracted, 7 hedged)

Using fossilized teeth, scientists have finally taken the T. rex’s temperature — and it wasn’t too different from our own. asserted
it → use → own
Researchers once thought that dinosaurs were sluggish, cold-blooded creatures. asserted
dinosaurs → think → ?
Later findings challenged that, suggesting that older dinosaurs were warm-blooded and could control their body temperature. uncertain
dinosaurs → challenge → temperature
Most scientists agree that Tyrannosaurus rex was warm-blooded, but pinning down the exact core temperature of an extinct creature is difficult. asserted
pinning → agree → creature
“We can’t just use a thermometer to do that,” said Jasmina Wiemann, a paleobiologist at Johns Hopkins University who had no role in the latest work. asserted
who → use → work
Scientists tried other methods like studying how T. rex grew or searching for clues in its bones, but a firm number eluded them. asserted
number → try → them
In a new study, researchers hunted for chemical clues in the fearsome predator’s teeth. asserted
researchers → hunt → teeth
It turns out that atoms within the enamel clump together in different patterns based on an animal’s body temperature. asserted
atoms → turn → temperature
“We figured out how warm the most famous animal of all, a T. rex, was,” said co-author Aradhna Tripati, a geochemist at the University of California, Los Angeles. asserted
Tripati → figure → California
Readings from three teeth revealed an average body temperature of about 97 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius). asserted
Readings → reveal → Fahrenheit
That’s similar to modern elephants and not too far from the average body temperature of humans, which ranges from 97 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit (36 to 37 degrees Celsius). asserted
which → ’ → Fahrenheit
The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. asserted
findings → publish → journal
Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. asserted
Report → start → news
“I almost would have expected a higher body temperature,” Wiemann said. asserted
Wiemann → expect → temperature
Based on her prior work, she thought the predator could have run a few degrees hotter — similar to modern birds, dinosaurs’ warm-blooded descendants. uncertain
predator → base → birds
Knowing how hot or cold the T. rex was can help scientists piece together how the dinosaur might have lived. uncertain
dinosaur → know → ?
At 97 degrees (36 degrees Celsius), T. rex could have lived across most of prehistoric North America, Tripati said, maintaining a stable internal thermometer across both cooler and hotter regions. uncertain
Tripati → live → regions
The findings could also shed light on the kinds of prey the dinosaur had to hunt in order to keep its energy up. uncertain
dinosaur → shed → energy
Scientists say it’ll be important to test these methods on other dinosaurs to see how warm or cold they ran. asserted
they → say → dinosaurs
It’s possible T. rex’s temperature could have been one of the keys to its dominance as one of the dinosaur age’s top predators. uncertain
temperature → ’ → predators
“There’s lots of interesting, charismatic species that could be explored using this,” said study co-author Robert Eagle, a geobiologist at UCLA. uncertain
Eagle → ’ → UCLA
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