British Fossil Hunters Find Bones of New Dinosaur Species, Cousin to T.Rex

The Tyrannosaurus rex dubbed Sue is pictured in its new exhibition suite at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, US in this photo released on December 18, 2018. (Handout via Reuters)
The Tyrannosaurus rex dubbed Sue is pictured in its new exhibition suite at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, US in this photo released on December 18, 2018. (Handout via Reuters)
TT
20

British Fossil Hunters Find Bones of New Dinosaur Species, Cousin to T.Rex

The Tyrannosaurus rex dubbed Sue is pictured in its new exhibition suite at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, US in this photo released on December 18, 2018. (Handout via Reuters)
The Tyrannosaurus rex dubbed Sue is pictured in its new exhibition suite at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois, US in this photo released on December 18, 2018. (Handout via Reuters)

Four bones found on a beach on the Isle of Wight, off England's south coast, belong to a new species of theropod dinosaur, the group that includes Tyrannosaurus rex, researchers at the University of Southampton said on Wednesday.

The new dinosaur, which has been named Vectaerovenator inopinatus, lived in the Cretaceous period 115 million years ago and was estimated to have been up to four meters long, the paleontologists said.

The name refers to the large air spaces found in the bones, which were discovered on the foreshore at Shanklin, a seaside resort on the island, last year.

The air sacs, which are also seen in modern birds, were extensions of the lung, the researchers said, and it is likely they helped fuel an efficient breathing system while also making the skeleton lighter.

One of the finders, Robin Ward, a regular fossil hunter from Stratford-upon-Avon in central England, said: "The joy of finding the bones we discovered was absolutely fantastic."

"I thought they were special and so took them along when we visited Dinosaur Isle Museum," he said. "They immediately knew these were something rare and asked if we could donate them to the museum to be fully researched."

James Lockyer, from Spalding, Lincolnshire, in east England, was also visiting the island when he found another of the bones.

"I was searching a spot at Shanklin and had been told and read that I wouldn't find much there," he said. "However, I always make sure I search the areas others do not, and on this occasion it paid off."

Chris Barker, a doctoral student who led the study, said: "We were struck by just how hollow the animal was – it's riddled with air spaces. Parts of its skeleton must have been rather delicate."

It is likely that the Vectaerovenator lived in an area just north of where its remains were found, with the carcass having washed out into the shallow sea nearby, the researchers said.



Marseille Airport Suspends Flights Due to Wildfire as Public Warned to Stay at Home

 Smoke rises over Marseille as a fast-moving wildfire spreads on the outskirts the city, southern France, July 8, 2025. (Reuters)
Smoke rises over Marseille as a fast-moving wildfire spreads on the outskirts the city, southern France, July 8, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20

Marseille Airport Suspends Flights Due to Wildfire as Public Warned to Stay at Home

 Smoke rises over Marseille as a fast-moving wildfire spreads on the outskirts the city, southern France, July 8, 2025. (Reuters)
Smoke rises over Marseille as a fast-moving wildfire spreads on the outskirts the city, southern France, July 8, 2025. (Reuters)

A wildfire spurred by hot summer winds reached France's second-largest city Tuesday, grounding all flights to and from Marseille, injuring at least nine people and forcing many residents to evacuate or barricade themselves indoors as smoke choked the Mediterranean air.

A big city hospital switched to generator power, train traffic was halted in most of the surrounding area, and some roads were closed and others tangled with logjams.

More than 1,000 firefighters were deployed to tackle the fire, which broke out near the town of Les Pennes-Mirabeau before racing toward Marseille. Some 720 hectares (acres) were hit by the blaze, the prefecture said.

Nine firefighters were injured, according to the prefecture, or local administration. No dead have been reported.

The prefecture said in a statement Tuesday evening that “the situation is under control,″ though the fire has not yet been extinguished. It described the fire as “particularly virulent.″

It came on a cloudless, windy day after a lengthy heat wave around Europe left the area parched and at heightened risk for wildfires. Several have broken out in southern France in recent days.

Light gray smoke gave the sky over Marseille’s old port a dusty aspect as water-dropping planes tried to extinguish the fire in the outskirts of the city, which has some 900,000 inhabitants.

Hundreds of homes were evacuated. The prefecture urged people in the affected areas to stay indoors and off the roads. With the fire approaching Marseille, the prefecture also advised residents in the north of the city to keep windows closed to prevent toxic smoke from entering their homes.

One distressed family watched the smoke over their neighborhood in the hills above the port city and showed AP how the roof of their neighbor's house had been damaged in the fire as they worried about their own.

Marseille airport announced that the runway had been closed at around midday. The prefecture said train traffic was halted, notably after a fire neared the tracks in L'Estaque, a picturesque neighborhood of Marseille.

As a safety measure, the city's Hospital Nord switched to generators “due to micro power cuts.”

“The aim is to secure the imaging sector. We are not worried as we have a high level of autonomy,” the University Hospitals of Marseille said, adding that because of the disrupted traffic it asked workers to remain at their posts until the next teams starts its shift.