Meet the ‘Wee-rex’. Tiny tyrannosaur is its personal species

Download the Nature Podcast 05 November 2025

In this episode:

00:45 The debate round Nanotyrannus

A hotly debated species of dinosaur, assumed by many to be a juvenile T. rex, is definitely a separate species, in keeping with new analysis. Nanotyrannus was a dinosaur anatomically much like T. rex, however a couple of tenth of the scale, main many to argue it was a younger model of the long-lasting species. However, examination of the limb bones of a well-preserved Nanotyrannus fossil suggests it was near ending its development and so would by no means change into as giant as a T. rex, main the authors to argue that it’s, in truth, a distinct species.

Research Article: Zanno and Napoli

News and Views: T. rex debate settled: contested fossils are smaller rival species, not juveniles

News: ‘Teenage T. rex’ fossil is definitely a distinct species

Video: Hotly debated dinosaur will not be a tiny T. rex in spite of everything

08:46 Research Highlights

An synthetic ‘neuron’ may pave the best way to construct a brain-inspired laptop — plus, how bats buck the development by looking prey their very own measurement.

Research Highlight: Artificial brains with much less drain

Research Highlight: By the time you hear these bats, it’s too late

11:19 A much less invasive option to forestall breast most cancers

An ‘anti-hormone’ remedy has proven promise in halting the onset of hallmarks related to breast most cancers, in a small trial. Breast most cancers is a number one reason behind demise in girls worldwide, however preventative measures, akin to mastectomies, are invasive. A brand new examine examined the efficacy of a therapy that blocks progesterone, a hormone thought to play an essential position in breast most cancers development. The remedy decreased each particular medical markers of breast most cancers and the variety of cells that may change into cancerous. Larger, longer trials are wanted to indicate that this therapy may in the end change into a part of a breast most cancers prevention technique, however the crew assume that this work exhibits the promise of this method.

Research Article: Simões et al.

18:41 Briefing Chat

A brand new method to hurry up CRIPSR therapies reaching medical trials, and the way vocal cords might be healed utilizing a tiny 3D printer.

Nature: Personalized gene modifying helped one child: can it’s rolled out extensively?

Nature: World’s smallest 3D bioprinter may rebuild tissue throughout surgical procedure

Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable day by day round-up of science information, opinion and evaluation free in your inbox each weekday.

Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the Nature Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music or your favorite podcast app. An RSS feed for the Nature Podcast is offered too.