‘Dueling Dinosaur’ Fossil Shows Potential T.rex and Triceratops Battle

A Tyrannosaurus rex and a Triceratops horridus lay dead in close proximity. The T.rex has a broken finger, and some of its teeth are sunk into the Triceratops’ spine. Some calamity or perhaps swampy conditions caused them to be buried together. But were the two actually battling right before death or were the injuries sustained after death? That’s what researchers at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences will find out, now that they’ve taken possession of the “dueling dinosaurs” fossil.

Even if there weren’t signs of a struggle between the T.rex and Triceratops, the fossil would still have a lot to intrigue paleontologists. “There will literally be thousands of studies done on these fossils,” paleontologist Tyler Lyson of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, told National Geographic.

These are some of the most complete dinosaur skeletons ever found, and they’re articulated. That means both dinosaurs have most of their pieces in the proper place. Often, fossil skeletons are found with bones strewn about haphazardly. The Triceratops’ forelimbs are either still encased in sediment or were taken by scavengers before they could be preserved.

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In 2006, commercial fossil hunter Clayton Phipps and his cousin Chad O’Connor found the Triceratops protruding from the Hell Creek Formation in Montana. Instead of just removing the bones, they kept everything encased in the surrounding sedimentary rock. Not only did this keep the bones in their proper places, it also preserved some important evidence, including body outlines and potential impressions from other soft tissue. The skin on the Triceratops’ horns and hips left indentions.

"The preservation is phenomenal, and we plan to use every technological innovation available to reveal new information on the biology of T. rex and Triceratops,” said Dr. Lindsay Zanno, head of paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in a press release. “This fossil will forever change our view of the world’s two favorite dinosaurs.”

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To supplement the information from the fossil, Zanno and her team will travel to Montana to see the site where Phipps and O’Connor found it. “If we couldn’t go to the site where the specimens were discovered and collect that data ourselves, then the specimens would be much less valuable from a scientific perspective,” Zanno told National Geographic.

The unique fossil’s journey from Montana to North Carolina was long and litigious. After Phipps and his team got it out of the hillside, they kept it in storage, expecting a museum to snap it up. It went up for auction in 2013, but no one met the $6-million minimum bid. Then the fossil got caught up in a legal struggle over ownership rights.  Finally, the Friends of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences used private funds to purchase the Dueling Dinosaurs and donated it to the museum.

[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/12/08/dueling-dinosaurs-fossil-shows-potential-trex-fight"]

To accommodate what it expects to be enormous interest from the public, the museum will begin renovating next year to create a new SECU DinoLab. Visitors will be able to watch scientists as they study the fossil. "The way we have designed the entire experience — inviting the public to follow the scientific discoveries in real time and participate in the research — will set a new standard for museums,” said Zanno. The fossil will go on display in 2022.

Future work on the fossil could include looking at the Triceratops’ stomach contents or extracting any remaining molecules from the specimen. Researchers will look for evidence of feathers on the T.rex, as well.

For more dino news, check out how Stan the T.rex became the most expensive dinosaur fossil ever sold and read about the Spinosaurus becoming the first known swimming dinosaur earlier this year.

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Jenny McGrath is a science writer for IGN. She never tweets, but here she is @JennyMcGeez.

Ghost of Tsushima Wins Player’s Voice Award at The Game Awards

Geoff Keighley has revealed that Ghost of Tsushima is The Game Awards Player's Voice Award winner this year after three rounds of voting from fans. The Game Awards will take place on December 10 and it's there that awards like Best Narrative, Best Direction, and of course, Game of the Year, will be announced. These awards are voted on by both a curated voting jury and fans, but in those instances, the voting jury accounts for 90% of the vote while the fan vote accounts for the other 10%. That's not the case in the Player's Voice Award – which is entirely decided upon by fans, or really anyone who signs in to The Game Awards to vote. There's no vote weighing involved with this award so Ghost of Tsushima is the game that got the most total votes out of all the other nominees. It beat out other 2020 releases like The Last of Us Part II, Hades, and Doom Eternal. Ghost of Tsushima saw its placement in the rankings shift each round. It had a 3% lead over TLOU2 during the second round of voting – 14% and 11% of the votes respectively – and then when the final round began on December 6, TLOU2 climbed to 43% of the vote while Ghost of Tsushima only had 31%. Then, with just four hours to go before the closing of votes, Ghost of Tsushima jumped up to 47% and TLOU2 dropped to 33%. That was the last update Keighley gave of the voting percentages before announcing Tuesday that Ghost of Tsushima is the Player's Voice Award winner for The Game Awards this year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/16/the-first-18-minutes-of-ghost-of-tsushima-legends"] Read our thoughts on the game in our Ghost of Tsushima review and then read about how multiplayer has always been a pillar of Sucker Punch's plans for the game with Ghost of Tsushima: Legends. If you haven't yet played the game, the PlayStation 5 is a great place to do so as the game runs at 60fps via Game Boost on the PS5. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes

Ghost of Tsushima Wins Player’s Voice Award at The Game Awards

Geoff Keighley has revealed that Ghost of Tsushima is The Game Awards Player's Voice Award winner this year after three rounds of voting from fans. The Game Awards will take place on December 10 and it's there that awards like Best Narrative, Best Direction, and of course, Game of the Year, will be announced. These awards are voted on by both a curated voting jury and fans, but in those instances, the voting jury accounts for 90% of the vote while the fan vote accounts for the other 10%. That's not the case in the Player's Voice Award – which is entirely decided upon by fans, or really anyone who signs in to The Game Awards to vote. There's no vote weighing involved with this award so Ghost of Tsushima is the game that got the most total votes out of all the other nominees. It beat out other 2020 releases like The Last of Us Part II, Hades, and Doom Eternal. Ghost of Tsushima saw its placement in the rankings shift each round. It had a 3% lead over TLOU2 during the second round of voting – 14% and 11% of the votes respectively – and then when the final round began on December 6, TLOU2 climbed to 43% of the vote while Ghost of Tsushima only had 31%. Then, with just four hours to go before the closing of votes, Ghost of Tsushima jumped up to 47% and TLOU2 dropped to 33%. That was the last update Keighley gave of the voting percentages before announcing Tuesday that Ghost of Tsushima is the Player's Voice Award winner for The Game Awards this year. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/10/16/the-first-18-minutes-of-ghost-of-tsushima-legends"] Read our thoughts on the game in our Ghost of Tsushima review and then read about how multiplayer has always been a pillar of Sucker Punch's plans for the game with Ghost of Tsushima: Legends. If you haven't yet played the game, the PlayStation 5 is a great place to do so as the game runs at 60fps via Game Boost on the PS5. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Wesley LeBlanc is a freelance news writer and guide maker for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @LeBlancWes

CoD: Black Ops Cold War – Xbox Players Being Locked Out of Game By ‘Blackout Trial’ Bug

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War received a major update today ahead of its huge Season One content drop - but some Xbox players are suffering from a strange bug that seems to be a holdover from the last game in the sub-series, Black Ops 4. The 'Blackout Trial' bug seemingly locks players out from the game, despite them owning the full version. CharlieIntel points out that, following the update, many players on social media have reported booting the game to find an error screen saying "Blackout Trial has ended", with the only options being to leave the game or buy the full version. These players own the full version of the new game, and are given no option to bypass the screen, meaning the game is unplayable.

Updated Cold War this morning, now I’m getting this message and can no longer access Multiplayer or Zombies?

...and yes, I have the full version.@charlieINTEL pic.twitter.com/jQ8styfzkR — (@MolyneuxLuke) December 8, 2020
Blackout was the battle royale mode included in the last Black Ops game, 2018's Black Ops 4. While Blackout's map does seem to be returning to Call of Duty: Warzone in some form, Blackout itself is not currently a part of Black Ops Cold War, making this a strange bug to encounter in the new game. We've contacted publisher Activision for comment on the bug. For now, there's no official fix, although some players are reporting that heading to Xbox's "Manage Game and Add-Ons" section for Black Ops Cold War and making sure that all content packs are correctly installed and applied can fix the issue. Others, however, are reporting that the fix isn't 100% effective. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/17/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-multiplayer-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

CoD: Black Ops Cold War – Xbox Players Being Locked Out of Game By ‘Blackout Trial’ Bug

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War received a major update today ahead of its huge Season One content drop - but some Xbox players are suffering from a strange bug that seems to be a holdover from the last game in the sub-series, Black Ops 4. The 'Blackout Trial' bug seemingly locks players out from the game, despite them owning the full version. CharlieIntel points out that, following the update, many players on social media have reported booting the game to find an error screen saying "Blackout Trial has ended", with the only options being to leave the game or buy the full version. These players own the full version of the new game, and are given no option to bypass the screen, meaning the game is unplayable.

Updated Cold War this morning, now I’m getting this message and can no longer access Multiplayer or Zombies?

...and yes, I have the full version.@charlieINTEL pic.twitter.com/jQ8styfzkR — (@MolyneuxLuke) December 8, 2020
Blackout was the battle royale mode included in the last Black Ops game, 2018's Black Ops 4. While Blackout's map does seem to be returning to Call of Duty: Warzone in some form, Blackout itself is not currently a part of Black Ops Cold War, making this a strange bug to encounter in the new game. We've contacted publisher Activision for comment on the bug. For now, there's no official fix, although some players are reporting that heading to Xbox's "Manage Game and Add-Ons" section for Black Ops Cold War and making sure that all content packs are correctly installed and applied can fix the issue. Others, however, are reporting that the fix isn't 100% effective. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/11/17/call-of-duty-black-ops-cold-war-multiplayer-review"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Extraction: Russo Brothers Want to Expand Netflix Film Into a Cinematic Universe

This article contains spoilers for Netflix's Extraction. [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Russo brothers have revealed that they are working on building out an entire cinematic universe from Netflix's Extraction. In conversation with Collider, Joe and Anthony Russo, who produced Extraction, with Joe writing the script, shared an update on the upcoming sequel and discussed the potential development of future projects in the franchise, as they shared their plans to create an entire Extraction cinematic universe, exploring some of the characters' stories further. "I will say this: we are working at building out a universe of films that could potentially explore some of the other characters from the first movie and some new characters, and see more historical interaction between the characters," Joe admitted. "So if you're interested in David Harbour's character, you just may get to see him in a future Extraction movie." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/02/netflixs-extraction-ending-explained"] In the first film, Harbour portrayed Gasper, a former squadmate of Chris Hemsworth's Tyler Rake, but the film ends with both characters supposedly dying. While the audience never actually witnessed Tyler's last breaths, he did appear to suffer a fatal injury. Russo explained how telling stories at different points in the timeline could potentially allow them to revisit these characters. "We're trying to find more interesting ways to tell these stories and cross-pollinate them," Joe added. "We're big fans of just forging new paths in narrative. Can we go backwards and forwards at the same time? Can things that happened in the past affect the movies in the present? What are new ways to tell those stories? And can we see different points of view?" He added: "Every antagonist is the protagonist in their own story, so can we see their point of view? How do they perceive the world? What makes them empathetic? I think what makes that a compelling element to the Extraction universe is it is a global franchise telling global stories, and we'd like to diversify the point of view in those movies." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=extraction-gallery&captions=true"] Shortly after its release, Extraction was unveiled as one of the most popular Netflix original films of all time, attracting 99 million viewers in its first four weeks on the platform, according to figures released by Bloomberg. Russo previously confirmed that a sequel to the film is in the works, with production now scheduled to start sometime next fall. Check out our review of the first film here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Extraction: Russo Brothers Want to Expand Netflix Film Into a Cinematic Universe

This article contains spoilers for Netflix's Extraction. [poilib element="accentDivider"] The Russo brothers have revealed that they are working on building out an entire cinematic universe from Netflix's Extraction. In conversation with Collider, Joe and Anthony Russo, who produced Extraction, with Joe writing the script, shared an update on the upcoming sequel and discussed the potential development of future projects in the franchise, as they shared their plans to create an entire Extraction cinematic universe, exploring some of the characters' stories further. "I will say this: we are working at building out a universe of films that could potentially explore some of the other characters from the first movie and some new characters, and see more historical interaction between the characters," Joe admitted. "So if you're interested in David Harbour's character, you just may get to see him in a future Extraction movie." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/02/netflixs-extraction-ending-explained"] In the first film, Harbour portrayed Gasper, a former squadmate of Chris Hemsworth's Tyler Rake, but the film ends with both characters supposedly dying. While the audience never actually witnessed Tyler's last breaths, he did appear to suffer a fatal injury. Russo explained how telling stories at different points in the timeline could potentially allow them to revisit these characters. "We're trying to find more interesting ways to tell these stories and cross-pollinate them," Joe added. "We're big fans of just forging new paths in narrative. Can we go backwards and forwards at the same time? Can things that happened in the past affect the movies in the present? What are new ways to tell those stories? And can we see different points of view?" He added: "Every antagonist is the protagonist in their own story, so can we see their point of view? How do they perceive the world? What makes them empathetic? I think what makes that a compelling element to the Extraction universe is it is a global franchise telling global stories, and we'd like to diversify the point of view in those movies." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=extraction-gallery&captions=true"] Shortly after its release, Extraction was unveiled as one of the most popular Netflix original films of all time, attracting 99 million viewers in its first four weeks on the platform, according to figures released by Bloomberg. Russo previously confirmed that a sequel to the film is in the works, with production now scheduled to start sometime next fall. Check out our review of the first film here. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

How to Watch The Game Awards and What to Expect

It’s about that time where we look back on all the games that came out over the last year and discuss the spectacular achievements the games industry has made. The Game Awards is an annual event that brings those members of the game industry and people who love gaming together to honor those special achievements and the individuals who made it all possible. That's not all − there'll be musical performances, celebrity presenters, and even some surprise game announcements and reveals. Here’s everything you need to know to make sure you don't miss it.

The Game Awards 2020 Date and Start Time

The Game Awards takes place on December 10 and will lead with a 30-minute pre-show hosted by Sydnee Goodman. Since it's a live event, it's hard to say exactly how long the show itself will be, but it typically lasts for about three hours. If you’re worried about missing any potential news, you might want to tune in for the pre-show festivities as Geoff Keighley announced viewers can expect five world premieres and a musical performance during that time alone. Here are the times The Game Awards pre-show starts:
  • 3:30pm PT
  • 6:30pm ET
  • 12:30am BST
  • 9:30am AEST
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How to Watch The Game Awards 2020

We’ll be hosting the stream for The Game Awards here on IGN and on our accounts across all major platforms including YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook. Here’s the full list of places we’ll be streaming The Game Awards so you can watch it on your preferred platform:

The Game Awards 2020 Presenters

As usual, you can expect to see a variety of talent at the awards show. From well-known actors and developers to music artists, a well-known sports analyst, and even a... Muppet? Here’s the list of all the presenters that have been confirmed to be at The Game Awards this year:
  • Christopher Nolan
  • Swedish Chef from The Muppets
  • Brie Larson
  • Gal Gadot
  • Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam (performing)
  • Tom Holland
  • Troy Baker
  • Reggie Fils-Aimé
  • Stephen A. Smith
  • John David Washington
  • Nolan North
  • Josef Fares
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/11/the-game-awards-2019-livestream"]

Game Announcements and Trailers to Expect

Every year, game announcements and trailers are sprinkled throughout the awards show. Some are teased prior to the event while others are kept under wraps and make for a fun surprise reveal. Below is a list of game announcements and trailers that were officially confirmed to be featured at The Game Awards:
  • The world premiere of Call of Duty Black Ops: Warzone Season One gameplay trailer
  • An early look at the next Dragon Age adventure
  • A first look at a new Among Us map
  • A Fall Guys Season 3 announcement trailer
  • An Elite Dangerous: Odyssey gameplay trailer
  • A Warhammer 40,000: Darktide 4-player co-op gameplay video
[poilib element="accentDivider"] Felicia Miranda is SEO editor at IGN and can be found tweeting her thoughts about games on Twitter at @FeliciaVagabond.

How to Watch The Game Awards and What to Expect

It’s about that time where we look back on all the games that came out over the last year and discuss the spectacular achievements the games industry has made. The Game Awards is an annual event that brings those members of the game industry and people who love gaming together to honor those special achievements and the individuals who made it all possible. That's not all − there'll be musical performances, celebrity presenters, and even some surprise game announcements and reveals. Here’s everything you need to know to make sure you don't miss it.

The Game Awards 2020 Start Time

The Game Awards takes place on December 10 and will lead with a 30-minute pre-show hosted by Sydnee Goodman. Since it's a live event, it's hard to say exactly how long the show itself will be, but it typically lasts for about three hours. If you’re worried about missing any potential news, you might want to tune in for the pre-show festivities as Geoff Keighley announced viewers can expect five world premieres and a musical performance during that time alone. Here are the times The Game Awards 2020 start:
  • 3:30pm PT
  • 6:30pm ET
  • 12:30am BST
  • 9:30am AEST
[widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-reviewed-games-of-2020&captions=true"]

Where to Watch The Game Awards 2020

We’ll be hosting the stream for The Game Awards here on IGN and on our accounts across all major platforms including YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, and Facebook. Here’s the full list of places we’ll be streaming The Game Awards so you can watch it on your preferred platform:

The Game Awards 2020 Presenters

As usual, you can expect to see a variety of talent at the awards show. From well-known actors and developers to music artists, a well-known sports analyst, and even a... Muppet? Here’s the list of all the presenters that have been confirmed to be at The Game Awards this year:
  • Keanu Reeves
  • Christopher Nolan
  • Swedish Chef from The Muppets
  • Brie Larson
  • Gal Gadot
  • Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam (performing)
  • Lyn Inaizumi, the singer from Persona 5 soundtrack  (performing)
  • The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Lorne Balfe (performing)
  • Tom Holland
  • Troy Baker
  • Reggie Fils-Aimé
  • Stephen A. Smith
  • John David Washington
  • Nolan North
  • Josef Fares
  • Jacksepticeye
[ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/11/the-game-awards-2019-livestream"]

Game Announcements, Trailers, and Events to Expect

Every year, game announcements and trailers are sprinkled throughout the awards show. Some are teased prior to the event while others are kept under wraps and make for a fun surprise reveal. Geoff Keighley actually confirmed this year there will be 12-15 new game announcements at The Game Awards. Below is a list of the game announcements, trailers, and events we know about that were officially confirmed to be featured at The Game Awards:
  • The world premiere of Call of Duty Black Ops: Warzone Season One gameplay trailer
  • An early look at the next Dragon Age adventure
  • A first look at a new Among Us map
  • A Fall Guys Season 3 announcement trailer
  • A Super Smash Bros. Ultimate fighter reveal
  • A sneak peek at the next Hunter arriving in Fortnite: Battle Royale
  • A new look at Nier: replicant
  • An Elite Dangerous: Odyssey gameplay trailer
  • A Warhammer 40,000: Darktide 4-player co-op gameplay video
  • A Rogue Company premiere of some kind
  • A Pokemon Go limited-time event beginning alongside The Game Awards
  • A The Game Awards sale launching on the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store (Xbox), Epic Games Store, and Steam
[poilib element="accentDivider"] Felicia Miranda is SEO editor at IGN and can be found tweeting her thoughts about games on Twitter at @FeliciaVagabond.

Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda Shows New Sides of the Marvel Hero

While there’s no shortage of Black Panther comics on the shelves, it’s much more rare to see T’Challa make the jump to the world of prose fiction. But with the release of Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda, fans will get to see new sides of T'Challa and his supporting cast. Published by Titan Books in collaboration with Marvel, Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda - A Ground-Breaking Anthology From the African Diaspora features no fewer than 18 short stories set in the world of Wakanda. Check out the book's cover art below: Marvel-BlackPanther1 Tales of Wakanda is edited by historian and journalist Jesse J. Holland, who also wrote the novelization of Black Panther: Who Is Black Panther. The authors contributing to the book include Nikki Giovanni, Sheree Renée Thomas, Tananarive Due, Caldwell Turnbull, Suyi Davies Okungbowa and Christopher Chambers. Titan teases these stories will focus on T'Challa himself as well as familiar supporting characters like Shuri, Okoye and the Dora Milaje. “From his inception, the Black Panther inspired an entire audience who never before had seen themselves in a Super Hero universe, as well as heralding a new creative flame in comics, science fiction and literature,” said Holland in Titan's press release. “These authors involved in Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda took that flame and put their own unique cultural marks on the work. This book represents the pure creativity they brought to the worlds of Wakanda and the Black Panther and takes the reader on a tour of the past, present and future of one of comic’s most enduring and exciting characters.” Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda is 480 pages and is priced at $25.95. The book will be released on February 2, 2021, timed to the start of Black History Month in the US. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=marvel-phase-4-official-lineup&captions=true"] This book release should help tide over fans eager for the release of Black Panther 2. Despite the tragic passing of star Chadwick Boseman, Marvel Studios is moving forward with the sequel as part of the MCU's Phase 4 lineup. Production on Black Panther 2 is expected to begin in July 2021, with Letitia Wright's Shuri expected to play a larger role this time around. It's unknown how Marvel will handle T'Challa's role, though the studio won't be relying on a digital double of Boseman. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.