Today in Science: Extremely metal dinosaurs ruled the Earth

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April 1, 2025—A new look at the dinosaur gladiators, the CDC buried a measles report, and how much time should you spend in nature?   —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor TODAY'S NEWS Bob Pool/Getty Images How much time in nature is healthy? A "Goldilocks" amount of green space might help stave off dementia, but an excess could lead to cognitive decline. | 4 min read Leaders at the CDC buried a new assessment by their own experts that found there is a high risk of catching measles in areas where vaccination rates are low. | 3 min read Kids ages four to seven have natural fact-checking skills when they encounter misinformation, a new study found. | 4 min read Top Wall Street institutions (i.e. JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley) have quietly concluded that climate change will likely exceed the Paris Agreement's 2-degree goal and are examining how to maintain profits, internal documents show. | 4 min read Swarms of satellites launched by SpaceX and other companies are disrupting astronomical observations. Here's how scientists are coping. | 8 min read More News TOP STORIES This 110-million-year-old fossil of Borealopelta, a nodosaurid ankylosaur from Alberta, Canada, is one of the best-preserved dinosaur fossils ever found. Robert Clark Dinosaur Gladiators Paleontologists examined the fossils of two new species of dinosaur discovered in 2017. Both had pieces of "body armor"—body plates and tail clubs—like other armored dinos such as the horned Triceratops and spiked Stegosaurus. The researchers found an outer layer of keratin covering the bony body armor (called osteoderms), which may have increased the size of the appendages by 40 percent or more.   Why this is interesting: Keratin (the same material that makes up our hair and nails) is incredibly tough and would have been capable of absorbing huge amounts of energy during throw-down dino fights. The combination of a thick keratin sheet and bony core structure would have made body armor that was virtually indestructible.   The broader implications: Armored dinosaurs were likely more tough and imposing (and deadlier) than paleontologists once thought. They probably fought mostly with other members of their species for territory or mates.   Mark Witton For decades, Triceratops has been portrayed with saggy, elephant-like skin. But the new analysis of fossil evidence suggests that the animals had giant horns and were covered in tough impenetrable scales. Typically portrayed as a dull greenish color (bottom illustration), a new vision of Triceratops is a rusty orange color (top illustration), inspired by modern-day river hogs that engage in face-to-face combat like Triceratops did.    What the experts say: "These animals weren't just armed to the hilt, they were also adapted to wield their weapons to the deadliest effect," writes Michael B. Habib, a paleontologist and biomechanist at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. "Far from being the passive animals imagined in centuries past, armored dinosaurs were among the most dangerous creatures in their ecosystems, magnificent to behold but terrifying to face in combat."

A CUSTOM PUBLICATION SPONSORED BY GOOGLE, THE BUCK INSTITUTE, OPTISPAN AND PHENOME HEALTH  The Healthspan Paradigm Lifespan is outpacing the number of years people live in good health. Scientists are developing ways of preventing illness and slowing the aging process.   Learn More

EXPERT PERSPECTIVES In March, the Trump administration announced that it will shutter the EPA's independent research office, eliminating more than 1,000 scientists and technical experts. "Every major environmental statute—the Clean Air Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Superfund law governing cleanup requirements—relies on EPA scientists to calculate how hazardous chemicals are, how people and wildlife may be exposed and what health and ecological harms may occur," writes Jennifer Sass, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Eliminating scientists from the EPA is kneecapping environmental safeguards." | 3 min read The world of the dinosaurs feels familiar to us. Between the famed action movie franchises, museum fossil installations and kids' toys, most people can summon a dino to mind in an instant. But what we know of them, how they looked and lived, are based on remnants, often fragmentary, of their long-dead bodies. Only recently have paleontologists discovered that dinosaurs might have been vibrantly colored, some sporting plumes of feathers.  Have dinosaurs ever captured your imagination? Tell me about it: newsletters@sciam.com. See you tomorrow!   —Andrea Gawrylewski, Chief Newsletter Editor

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