Discovery of T. rex’s cousin upends our understanding of tyrannosaur evolution

 

An artist’s illustration of the new-to-science Tromerosaurus dinosaur hunting some juvenile Brachylophosaurus. Image courtesy of Henry Sharpe

Joel Kontinen

A new species of tyrannosaur has been discovered by scientists in Canada. Fossils of the carnivorous dinosaur, a cousin of Tyrannosaurus rex, suggest it lived 77 million years and was 8 metres long with lengthy, lean legs. This is a rare addition to an unusual branch of the tyrannosaur family tree and complicates our understanding of how these dinosaurs supposedly evolved.

The timing of the dinosaur is off by thousands of years. According to the Bible, a great dinosaur known as Behemoth lived at the time of Job.

Tyrannosauridae, a family of dinosaurs, split into two subfamilies: tyrannosaurines, made up of T. rex and other stocky, heavy species with relatively long heads, and albertosaurines, which had relatively short skulls and lighter builds.

 Source:

Jake Buehler 2026 Discovery of T. rex's cousin upends our understanding of tyrannosaur evolution | New Scientist19 October

The Dinosaur Extinction Was More Complicated Than You Think

 

Joel Kontinen

According to evolution, the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs some 66 million years ago. According to Genesis it happened during the time of Noah. It did not kill all the dinosaurs, as the account in Job tells us.  

Dinosaurs are the biggest creatures to have ever walked on land, dominating Earth for over 130 million years according to evolution. But how could such extraordinary creatures have simply vanished in the blink of a geological eye? For decades, we’ve assumed these prehistoric megafauna – a staple of our childhoods and Hollywood movies – went extinct for one simple reason: the asteroid that hit Earth was so unimaginably large that it changed everything in one single blow. But now, thanks to new research, an even more intriguing idea has emerged: size alone doesn’t explain what happened.

The real reason the impact was so devastating may have been its angle. Had the asteroid arrived a according Earth at the time, predominantly dinosaurs on land, marine creatures in the sea and pterosaurs in the air, it appears to have struck at almost the worst possible angle imaginable, launching vast quantities of rock, dust and climate-altering gases high into the atmosphere and triggering one of the greatest mass extinctions in Earth’s history.

Source:

David Stock 2026  The Dinosaur Extinction Was More Complicated Than You Think | New Scientist July 16

Job’s Behemoth Was Hardly a Hippo, Contrary to What Christianity Today Suggests

A hippo might be a lot bigger than a Nile crocodile, but the cedar-like tail is certainly missing. Image courtesy of Stig Nygaard.



Joel Kontinen

Christianity Today is not exactly known for a biblical understanding of creation, Genesis or the age of the earth. It has doubted the existence of a historical Adam, for instance.

Recently, it launched a magazine called The Behemoth. The very first issue features an article on the animal that gave the publication its name.

After much speculation, author Ted Olsen surmises that the creature described in Job 40 is probably a hippo.

While a hippo might be huge, the description does not fit an animal that looks somewhat like an overgrown pig:

“Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly! His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are close-knit." (Job 40:15-17, NIV)

Bible translators have often found it difficult to translate the word Behemoth. With the exception of Job 40:15, they have often rendered it as beast. The translators of the New International Version (NIV) decided to keep the name Behemoth.

But then they explain in a footnote that the animal was possibly a hippopotamus or an elephant.

The hippo (Hippopotamus amphibius) is a huge animal that can weigh up to two tons. Its Greek name πποπόταμος means ‘river horse'. The one thing that it certainly lacks is a tail like a cedar.

The elephant is not a good suggestion, either. It has a tail that is possibly even narrower than that of a hippo. A crocodile has a more cedar-like backside than either a hippo or an elephant. There is a problem, however: crocs like to eat meat and the Behemoth does not.

So perhaps the Behemoth is a huge animal that lived in Job's day but has since become extinct. Some have even suggested it might be a dinosaur.

We should remember that while the Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21), this only applies to the original texts. Translations are the work of fallible men. They are not inspired.

Surprisingly, many rock paintings describing dinosaurs have been found in different parts of the world. Perhaps the most spectacular find is an engraving of two fighting sauropod dinosaurs in a 15th century tomb in Carlisle Cathedral in the UK.

The creatures have been dubbed Bishop Bell's Brass Behemoths.

This suggests that people actually saw dinosaurs 600 years ago. Certainly Job, who lived 2,000 years earlier, could also have seen dinosaurs.

Source:

Olsen, Ted. 2014. 'Behold Now Behemoth.' The Behemoth. Issue 1. Christianity Today.

Dinosaurs in the Bible?

Joel Kontinen


What does the Bible say about dinosaurs? While the word dinosaur was not coined until the 19th century, there are some interesting hints in the Old Testament.




The Book of describes a huge land animal called behemoth:

“Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox.
See now, his strength is in his hips, And his power is in his stomach muscles.
He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
His bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron.
He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword.” (Job 40:15-19).

The description fits that of a huge sauropodian dinosaur.