Spinosaurus Becomes the First Known Swimming Dinosaur

Researchers have discovered that Spinosaurus aegyptiacus had a "paddle-like" tail to propel itself through the water – bolstering the case that this particular species of dinosaur was capable of aquatic movement. National Geographic reports that the fossilised tail of the Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, unearthed in southern Morocco, provides fresh insight into how the 50-foot-long, seven-ton predator may have lived in an underwater habitat. According to the study, published in the journal Nature, Spinosaurus had a, "tail with an unexpected and unique shape" made up of "extremely tall neural spines and elongate chevrons" to form "a large, flexible fin-like organ." The study described the results as, "the most extreme aquatic adaptation ever seen in a large dinosaur." "The Spinosaurus' fin-like tail is a game-changing discovery for us that fundamentally alters our understanding of how this dinosaur lived and hunted – it was actually a 'river-monster,'" David Unwin, a reader in Palaeobiology at the University of Leicester, said in a statement. "Not only did dinosaurs dominate the land and take to the air as birds, they even went back into the water and became the top predators there, as well." [caption id="attachment_2345869" align="alignnone" width="2200"]Credit: Jason Treat, NG Staff, and Mesa Schumacher / Art: Davide Bonadonna / Source: Nizar Ibrahim, University of Detroit Mercy Image Credit: Jason Treat, NG Staff, and Mesa Schumacher / Art: Davide Bonadonna / Source: Nizar Ibrahim, University of Detroit Mercy[/caption] Many will recall that the Spinosaurus featured prominently in the 2001 movie Jurassic Park III. For years, this fictional portrayal has been surrounded by unconfirmed theories that the dinosaur was a semiaquatic predator, but researchers say that this new study should finally put any lingering doubts about it to rest. "This discovery is the nail in the coffin for the idea that non-avian dinosaurs never invaded the aquatic realm," explained Dr Nizar Ibrahim, who led the project. "This dinosaur was actively pursuing prey in the water column, not just standing in shallow waters waiting for fish to swim by. It probably spent most of its life in the water." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-deaths-in-the-jurassic-park-movies&captions=true"] For more dinosaur discoveries and developments, read about the complete skull of the smallest known dinosaur that was found preserved in amber, find out about the new tyrannosaur species, dubbed "Reaper of Death" by scientists, and take a look at a recent study that suggests mercury contamination occurred prior to dinosaur extinction. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Spinosaurus Becomes the First Known Swimming Dinosaur

Researchers have discovered that Spinosaurus aegyptiacus had a "paddle-like" tail to propel itself through the water – bolstering the case that this particular species of dinosaur was capable of aquatic movement. National Geographic reports that the fossilised tail of the Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, unearthed in southern Morocco, provides fresh insight into how the 50-foot-long, seven-ton predator may have lived in an underwater habitat. According to the study, published in the journal Nature, Spinosaurus had a, "tail with an unexpected and unique shape" made up of "extremely tall neural spines and elongate chevrons" to form "a large, flexible fin-like organ." The study described the results as, "the most extreme aquatic adaptation ever seen in a large dinosaur." "The Spinosaurus' fin-like tail is a game-changing discovery for us that fundamentally alters our understanding of how this dinosaur lived and hunted – it was actually a 'river-monster,'" Davin Unwin, a reader in Palaeobiology at the University of Leicester, said in a statement. "Not only did dinosaurs dominate the land and take to the air as birds, they even went back into the water and became the top predators there, as well." [caption id="attachment_2345869" align="alignnone" width="2200"]Credit: Jason Treat, NG Staff, and Mesa Schumacher / Art: Davide Bonadonna / Source: Nizar Ibrahim, University of Detroit Mercy Image Credit: Jason Treat, NG Staff, and Mesa Schumacher / Art: Davide Bonadonna / Source: Nizar Ibrahim, University of Detroit Mercy[/caption] Many will recall that the Spinosaurus featured prominently in the 2001 movie Jurassic Park III. For years, this fictional portrayal has been surrounded by unconfirmed theories that the dinosaur was a semiaquatic predator, but researchers say that this new study should finally put any lingering doubts about it to rest. "This discovery is the nail in the coffin for the idea that non-avian dinosaurs never invaded the aquatic realm," explained Dr Nizar Ibrahim, who led the project. "This dinosaur was actively pursuing prey in the water column, not just standing in shallow waters waiting for fish to swim by. It probably spent most of its life in the water." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=the-best-deaths-in-the-jurassic-park-movies&captions=true"] For more dinosaur discoveries and developments, read about the complete skull of the smallest known dinosaur that was found preserved in amber, find out about the new tyrannosaur species, dubbed "Reaper of Death" by scientists, and take a look at a recent study that suggests mercury contamination occurred prior to dinosaur extinction. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Virtual Star Wars Convention Planned for May the 4th

A virtual Star Wars convention is set to be launched on May the Fourth by Reedpop, the organization behind Star Wars Celebration and New York Comic-Con. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two-day event, officially titled "An Online Revelry: May the 4th Be With You and Revenge of the 5th," will feature multiple virtual events, including live-tweeting along with Star Wars movies and TV shows, plus Q&A sessions, roundtable discussions, trivia quizzes and giveaways. Taking place on May 4 and May 5, the online celebration will be staged across social media accounts associated with ReedPop properties, including New York Comic-Con, C2E2, BookCon, Emerald City Comic Con and Florida SuperCon, on both Twitter and Facebook. You can check out the full schedule for the festival on the New York Comic-Con website here. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/04/the-star-wars-saga-timeline-in-chronological-order"] This comes shortly after it was confirmed that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker would be available to stream two months early on Disney+, further encouraging fans to enjoy festivities on their own home planet for Star Wars Day this year. Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, a brand new eight-episode documentary series, taking viewers behind-the-scenes of the space western, will also start streaming on May 4, the same day that the Clone Wars Season 7 finale lands on the streamer. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-10-best-star-wars-movie-moments&captions=true"] With more and more conventions being postponed or cancelled in light of the worldwide coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we have started to see a steady upturn in the entertainment offerings available online, as event organisers try to find new ways for fans to immerse themselves in their favourite properties from the safety of their own homes. At this point, however, it is unknown whether Star Wars Celebration (currently scheduled for August 27-30 in Anaheim) will be removed from the event calendar altogether, similarly to SXSW (which was cancelled this year for the first time in 34 years) or whether it could be replaced by a digital alternative. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Virtual Star Wars Convention Planned for May the 4th

A virtual Star Wars convention is set to be launched on May the Fourth by Reedpop, the organization behind Star Wars Celebration and New York Comic-Con. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two-day event, officially titled "An Online Revelry: May the 4th Be With You and Revenge of the 5th," will feature multiple virtual events, including live-tweeting along with Star Wars movies and TV shows, plus Q&A sessions, roundtable discussions, trivia quizzes and giveaways. Taking place on May 4 and May 5, the online celebration will be staged across social media accounts associated with ReedPop properties, including New York Comic-Con, C2E2, BookCon, Emerald City Comic Con and Florida SuperCon, on both Twitter and Facebook. You can check out the full schedule for the festival on the New York Comic-Con website here. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/12/04/the-star-wars-saga-timeline-in-chronological-order"] This comes shortly after it was confirmed that Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker would be available to stream two months early on Disney+, further encouraging fans to enjoy festivities on their own home planet for Star Wars Day this year. Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, a brand new eight-episode documentary series, taking viewers behind-the-scenes of the space western, will also start streaming on May 4, the same day that the Clone Wars Season 7 finale lands on the streamer. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=top-10-best-star-wars-movie-moments&captions=true"] With more and more conventions being postponed or cancelled in light of the worldwide coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we have started to see a steady upturn in the entertainment offerings available online, as event organisers try to find new ways for fans to immerse themselves in their favourite properties from the safety of their own homes. At this point, however, it is unknown whether Star Wars Celebration (currently scheduled for August 27-30 in Anaheim) will be removed from the event calendar altogether, similarly to SXSW (which was cancelled this year for the first time in 34 years) or whether it could be replaced by a digital alternative. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Adele Ankers is a Freelance Entertainment Journalist. You can reach her on Twitter.

Geoff Keighley Announces 4-Month Summer Game Fest

Geoff Keighley has revealed Summer Game Fest, an "industry-wide celebration of video games" that will run from May to August 2020 and deliver news, in-game events and playable content. The news was first revealed by Keighley on Twitter, who posted a note outlining his ambitions for the Summer Game Fest project. The Phase 1 lineup for the festival will include news from 2K, Activision, Bandai Namco, Bethesda, Blizzard, Bungie, CD Projekt Red, Digital Extremes, EA, PlayStation, Private Division, Riot Games, Square Enix, Steam, Warner Brothers and Xbox. As well as strict news, Keighley's festival will offer "in-game events, playable; content and demos of select titles" as well as a number of announcements that are yet to be revealed. Playable game festivals from Steam and Xbox are expected to arrive soon, and the festival will incorporate panels and interviews with prolific developers and publishers in the games industry. You can check out the Summer Game Fest website here, where you can sign up to be notified when the content schedule goes live. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/03/ign-announces-summer-of-gaming-showcase-for-june"] We at IGN will be running our own Summer of Gaming showcase in June, featuring live broadcasts and on-demand programming featuring IGN's editorial coverage of the work of game developers from around the world. With E3 2020 cancelled, IGN has a suite of programming planned to kick off in early June. It includes publisher presentations with IGN pre- and post-discussions, remote developer interviews, hands-on demos and preview impressions, gameplay, and news segments recapping the biggest announcements. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN who saw one glimpse of Psychonauts 2 in the trailer and has been struggling to compose himself since. Enter the door to his brain via Twitter.

Geoff Keighley Announces 4-Month Summer Game Fest

Geoff Keighley has revealed Summer Game Fest, an "industry-wide celebration of video games" that will run from May to August 2020 and deliver news, in-game events and playable content. The news was first revealed by Keighley on Twitter, who posted a note outlining his ambitions for the Summer Game Fest project. The Phase 1 lineup for the festival will include news from 2K, Activision, Bandai Namco, Bethesda, Blizzard, Bungie, CD Projekt Red, Digital Extremes, EA, PlayStation, Private Division, Riot Games, Square Enix, Steam, Warner Brothers and Xbox. As well as strict news, Keighley's festival will offer "in-game events, playable; content and demos of select titles" as well as a number of announcements that are yet to be revealed. Playable game festivals from Steam and Xbox are expected to arrive soon, and the festival will incorporate panels and interviews with prolific developers and publishers in the games industry. You can check out the Summer Game Fest website here, where you can sign up to be notified when the content schedule goes live. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/03/ign-announces-summer-of-gaming-showcase-for-june"] We at IGN will be running our own Summer of Gaming showcase in June, featuring live broadcasts and on-demand programming featuring IGN's editorial coverage of the work of game developers from around the world. With E3 2020 cancelled, IGN has a suite of programming planned to kick off in early June. It includes publisher presentations with IGN pre- and post-discussions, remote developer interviews, hands-on demos and preview impressions, gameplay, and news segments recapping the biggest announcements. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan Oloman is a freelance writer for IGN who saw one glimpse of Psychonauts 2 in the trailer and has been struggling to compose himself since. Enter the door to his brain via Twitter.

Chris Hemsworth and Joe Russo Break Down Extraction’s Surprising Ending

This interview contains spoilers for the end of Netflix's Extraction, now streaming worldwide. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Extraction star Chris Hemsworth, director Sam Hargrave, and writer Joe Russo joined IGN for our latest installment of Watch From Home Theater on May 30, breaking down the film's jaw-dropping action sequences and shedding a little light on our biggest questions about Extraction's purposefully ambiguous ending over the course of the full movie watch-along. Keep reading for everything we learned from Hemsworth, Hargrave and Russo, as well as some additional context for what the ending of Extraction means. If you missed the show, you can watch the video commentary of the movie with Hemsworth, Hargrave, and Russo below (the stream begins at the 27-minute mark, and Hemsworth joins around 1 hour and 7 minutes in): [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/netflixs-extraction-watch-party-w-chris-hemsworth-the-russos-sam-hargrave"]

What does the ending of Extraction mean?

Extraction is an adrenaline-fueled sprint of a movie with a fairly straightforward premise: An emotionally-scarred mercenary with a delightfully action-hero name (Tyler Rake, played with simmering intensity by Hemsworth) is tasked with "extracting" young hostage Ovi (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) from a hostile city in which everyone, from gangs of street kids to the cops and military, is out to kill him. The plot mostly unfolds the way you'd expect it to (with a few devious detours), right up until the ending, which sees Tyler managing to get Ovi to safety before he's shot in the neck and seemingly killed by Farhad (Suraj Rikame), a vengeful young criminal Tyler had earlier given a gentle beatdown -- a callback to the opening scene of the movie. While we don't see Tyler's last breaths, it sure looks like a fatal injury, and we see Tyler fall off a bridge and into the water as Ovi is hauled to safety by Tyler's ally, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani). "We show you at the beginning that he's hit by a sniper by a potentially fatal shot, so the whole movie you're watching to see if Rake is going to survive the film or not. That creates tension as you're watching the film because you know where it's going," said Russo. Flash forward 8 months later and an obviously traumatized Ovi is back at school, trying to reacclimate after everything he's been through. In the final scene of the movie, after steeling himself to take a dive in the pool, Ovi resurfaces to find someone watching him - someone who looks suspiciously like Tyler (if a bit blurry and out of focus). This ambiguous ending has left many wondering: is Tyler dead or alive at the end of Extraction?

Is Tyler alive at the end of Extraction?

Russo admitted that the ambiguous ending was designed to allow the audience to make up their own minds about whether Tyler survived or died, but didn't rule out the possibility of a sequel: "What we love about that ending is, you can interpret it any way you want to, which is really, for us, it represents hope for the boy that he’s gonna have a future, you know, that that is the ghost of Rake that’s looking over him - it’s really what it means to him at the end of the movie more so than what it means to the audience. And there’s nothing wrong with ambiguous endings, in fact, they can be quite entertaining and incite a lot of conversation which I always think is the value of a public medium like filmmaking, is that everyone can argue about it and discuss it ad nauseam - but unless there’s a prequel or a sequel, that question won’t be answered." Of watching himself die (or seemingly die) on camera, Hemsworth said, "It's a weird thing, I've got to say. I remember Rush, you know, he dies many years later, and every time that final image of the movie comes up, it always got emotional, but I think, because that was a real guy - not that I knew the guy - but something was heartbreaking about it. It's tricky. Watching yourself, in general, can be a little abrasive, but when it's done right and there's music and all those sorts of things, it's a little easier to get lost in it." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/22/extraction-knife-fight-clip"]

Will Extraction get a sequel?

That prompted the obvious follow-up question of whether there will be an Extraction prequel or sequel, to which Russo and Hemsworth both said, "We don't know," presumably leaving the ball in Netflix's court to greenlight a follow-up of some kind if the movie proves popular enough. Hemsworth said that he liked Russo's take on the ending, joking that he'd have to check his contract to see whether Tyler lived or died: "As Joe said, I love the ambiguity there and the way you could interpret it however you like. I really like what you said there Joe, that it represents the boy’s gonna be okay, whether that’s the ghost of Rake watching over him or something, it represents someone still watching him and taking care of him - I like that version. Whether that's actually him or not, we don’t know." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=extraction-gallery&captions=true"] Either way, Hargrave said he's down to return to the world of Extraction should Netflix order a prequel or sequel to the film. "It’s a hypothetical ... there are so many storylines in this world that Joe built with the script, there’s so many ways it could go. If anything were to happen, it’s really up to finding the best story… and what’s the best thing for the movie and the universe that is growing out of the script that Joe wrote. I am open, I think there’s so many fun possibilities, I’m ready, whatever the next challenge brings, I’ll be there." The plot of Extraction leaves plenty of room for a prequel exploring Tyler Rake's past before he becomes involved in Ovi's story, if Russo and Hemsworth don't want to ever definitively answer the question of who the mystery man is in Extraction's final scene. There's plenty of backstory to mine in Tyler's relationship with David Harbour's duplicitous Gaspar - given that we know Tyler once saved Gaspar's life - as well as Tyler's history with Nik, and we're sure there are plenty of other suicide missions the former SASR operative-turned mercenary could've gotten involved in over the course of his career. Whether we'll get to see any of them - or potentially learn how Tyler survived a seemingly fatal bullet wound - is up to Netflix. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=ab6a0381-e1e2-4d9e-9e24-5b83da8c3607"] For more from our Watch From Home Theater series, find out what we learned from Jonathan Frakes about Star Trek: First Contact, the T-Rex blooper you missed in Jurassic Park courtesy of Joseph Mazzello, how the plot of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story evolved with writers Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz, and insights from 10 Cloverfield Lane with director Dan Trachtenberg and The Invisible Man with director Leigh Whannell, plus read our review of Extraction.

Chris Hemsworth and Joe Russo Break Down Extraction’s Surprising Ending

This interview contains spoilers for the end of Netflix's Extraction, now streaming worldwide. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Extraction star Chris Hemsworth, director Sam Hargrave, and writer Joe Russo joined IGN for our latest installment of Watch From Home Theater on May 30, breaking down the film's jaw-dropping action sequences and shedding a little light on our biggest questions about Extraction's purposefully ambiguous ending over the course of the full movie watch-along. Keep reading for everything we learned from Hemsworth, Hargrave and Russo, as well as some additional context for what the ending of Extraction means. If you missed the show, you can watch the video commentary of the movie with Hemsworth, Hargrave, and Russo below (the stream begins at the 27-minute mark, and Hemsworth joins around 1 hour and 7 minutes in): [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/30/netflixs-extraction-watch-party-w-chris-hemsworth-the-russos-sam-hargrave"]

What does the ending of Extraction mean?

Extraction is an adrenaline-fueled sprint of a movie with a fairly straightforward premise: An emotionally-scarred mercenary with a delightfully action-hero name (Tyler Rake, played with simmering intensity by Hemsworth) is tasked with "extracting" young hostage Ovi (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) from a hostile city in which everyone, from gangs of street kids to the cops and military, is out to kill him. The plot mostly unfolds the way you'd expect it to (with a few devious detours), right up until the ending, which sees Tyler managing to get Ovi to safety before he's shot in the neck and seemingly killed by Farhad (Suraj Rikame), a vengeful young criminal Tyler had earlier given a gentle beatdown -- a callback to the opening scene of the movie. While we don't see Tyler's last breaths, it sure looks like a fatal injury, and we see Tyler fall off a bridge and into the water as Ovi is hauled to safety by Tyler's ally, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani). "We show you at the beginning that he's hit by a sniper by a potentially fatal shot, so the whole movie you're watching to see if Rake is going to survive the film or not. That creates tension as you're watching the film because you know where it's going," said Russo. Flash forward 8 months later and an obviously traumatized Ovi is back at school, trying to reacclimate after everything he's been through. In the final scene of the movie, after steeling himself to take a dive in the pool, Ovi resurfaces to find someone watching him - someone who looks suspiciously like Tyler (if a bit blurry and out of focus). This ambiguous ending has left many wondering: is Tyler dead or alive at the end of Extraction?

Is Tyler alive at the end of Extraction?

Russo admitted that the ambiguous ending was designed to allow the audience to make up their own minds about whether Tyler survived or died, but didn't rule out the possibility of a sequel: "What we love about that ending is, you can interpret it any way you want to, which is really, for us, it represents hope for the boy that he’s gonna have a future, you know, that that is the ghost of Rake that’s looking over him - it’s really what it means to him at the end of the movie more so than what it means to the audience. And there’s nothing wrong with ambiguous endings, in fact, they can be quite entertaining and incite a lot of conversation which I always think is the value of a public medium like filmmaking, is that everyone can argue about it and discuss it ad nauseam - but unless there’s a prequel or a sequel, that question won’t be answered." Of watching himself die (or seemingly die) on camera, Hemsworth said, "It's a weird thing, I've got to say. I remember Rush, you know, he dies many years later, and every time that final image of the movie comes up, it always got emotional, but I think, because that was a real guy - not that I knew the guy - but something was heartbreaking about it. It's tricky. Watching yourself, in general, can be a little abrasive, but when it's done right and there's music and all those sorts of things, it's a little easier to get lost in it." [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/04/22/extraction-knife-fight-clip"]

Will Extraction get a sequel?

That prompted the obvious follow-up question of whether there will be an Extraction prequel or sequel, to which Russo and Hemsworth both said, "We don't know," presumably leaving the ball in Netflix's court to greenlight a follow-up of some kind if the movie proves popular enough. Hemsworth said that he liked Russo's take on the ending, joking that he'd have to check his contract to see whether Tyler lived or died: "As Joe said, I love the ambiguity there and the way you could interpret it however you like. I really like what you said there Joe, that it represents the boy’s gonna be okay, whether that’s the ghost of Rake watching over him or something, it represents someone still watching him and taking care of him - I like that version. Whether that's actually him or not, we don’t know." [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=extraction-gallery&captions=true"] Either way, Hargrave said he's down to return to the world of Extraction should Netflix order a prequel or sequel to the film. "It’s a hypothetical ... there are so many storylines in this world that Joe built with the script, there’s so many ways it could go. If anything were to happen, it’s really up to finding the best story… and what’s the best thing for the movie and the universe that is growing out of the script that Joe wrote. I am open, I think there’s so many fun possibilities, I’m ready, whatever the next challenge brings, I’ll be there." The plot of Extraction leaves plenty of room for a prequel exploring Tyler Rake's past before he becomes involved in Ovi's story, if Russo and Hemsworth don't want to ever definitively answer the question of who the mystery man is in Extraction's final scene. There's plenty of backstory to mine in Tyler's relationship with David Harbour's duplicitous Gaspar - given that we know Tyler once saved Gaspar's life - as well as Tyler's history with Nik, and we're sure there are plenty of other suicide missions the former SASR operative-turned mercenary could've gotten involved in over the course of his career. Whether we'll get to see any of them - or potentially learn how Tyler survived a seemingly fatal bullet wound - is up to Netflix. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=ab6a0381-e1e2-4d9e-9e24-5b83da8c3607"] For more from our Watch From Home Theater series, find out what we learned from Jonathan Frakes about Star Trek: First Contact, the T-Rex blooper you missed in Jurassic Park courtesy of Joseph Mazzello, how the plot of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story evolved with writers Gary Whitta and Chris Weitz, and insights from 10 Cloverfield Lane with director Dan Trachtenberg and The Invisible Man with director Leigh Whannell, plus read our review of Extraction.