Dinosaurs Not Cold-Blooded in Theory That Flips Old View

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A closer look at modern-day mammals has led scientists to conclude that dinosaurs were warm-blooded, in a serendipitous finding that demolishes the main argument that the creatures were giant cold-blooded reptiles.

In a study that started as a way of learning more about the bones of mammals, researchers found that the same skeletal markings seen on dinosaurs also appeared on large ruminant animals, such as deer. Called lines of arrested growth or LAGs, the markers indicate rain and supply of food and water, rather than external temperature, according to the research published today in the journal Nature.