The report frames the finding as a resolution to a decades-long palaeontological dispute, grounded in new fossil evidence and scholarly discussion.

The case underscores the value of public access to real-time research and collaboration between public museums and NC State University in advancing science.

The manuscript provides an early preview of Nature’s 2025 content, including extensive data files, morphometrics, code, and supplementary materials under ongoing editorial review.

The intertwined skeleton known as the “Dueling Dinosaurs”—found with Triceratops remains—goes on display at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, prompting questions about tyrannosaur growth and the late-Cretaceous ecosystem.

Independent experts like Lawrence Witmer caution the debate remains heated, but acknowledge the potential to revise a premise underlying hundreds of publications.

The research team includes paleontologists from multiple institutions, with commentary from Thomas Holtz Jr. and Smithsonian-affiliated scholars, signaling field-wide significance.

A new fossil specimen of Nanotyrannus provides strong evidence that this smaller tyrannosaur is a distinct adult species, not just a juvenile Tyrannosaurus rex, potentially overturning long-held T. rex research.

Lindsay Zanno led the study, published in Nature, with broader implications noted by James Napoli regarding dinosaur evolution and diversity.

An abstract and the full study report accompany a press release, offering detailed methodology for peer review and public access.

Some scientists remain cautious, noting conclusions can shift with new data or methods, especially given fewer complete specimens complicating taxonomic labeling.

The study appears in Nature (2025) with DOI 10.1038/s41586-025-09801-6.

Co-author Stephen Poropat expresses cautious optimism, acknowledging ongoing debates while noting a robust anatomical framework for identifying Nanotyrannus and guiding future tyrannosaur research.