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The mysterious buyer who took the T-Rex skeleton for 200 million yuan appeared Not Dwayne Johnson, it was it!

According to CNN's website reported on the 24th, the world's most complete T-Rex skeleton "Stan" was sold at Christie's auction in October 2020 at a price of 31.8 million US dollars (about 202 million yuan), setting a record for the highest price in the history of fossil auctions. However, the buyer of the deal has not been identified, and paleontologists fear that the 67 million-year-old fossil skeleton will lose its scientific value.

The most complete and expensive T-Rex skeleton in the world

Source: CNN

"Stan" T. rex originated from Earth about 67 million years ago, was discovered in 1987 in South Dakota, USA, and is named after Stan Saxon, the amateur paleontologist who discovered it. It is about 4 meters tall, about 12 meters long (including the tail), composed of 188 bones, and weighs 7 to 8 tons when alive, making it one of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons in the world.

They were initially mistaken for the bones of Triceratops, and it wasn't until 1992 that visiting paleontologists recognized their true identity. Subsequently, paleontologists spent more than three years excavating and restoring it.

"Stan" has been exhibited in many places. In October 2020, Christie's in New York, USA, put the more than 67 million-year-old fossil on public auction, initially estimating $6 million to $8 million, but the price quickly soared after the bidding began, and finally a mystery buyer successfully bid for $31.8 million.

Dwayne Johnson is a mystery buyer?

The mysterious buyer who took the T-Rex skeleton for 200 million yuan appeared Not Dwayne Johnson, it was it!

Image source: Screenshot of YouTube video

On the evening of January 17 this year, American Hollywood star Dawn Johnson appeared as a guest on the popular "Monday Football Night" program in the United States, and a "Tyrannosaurus dragon bone" behind him successfully attracted the attention of the audience. The host asked him, "Is that a dinosaur skull behind you?" Johnson joked: "Yes, this is the 'Stan' Tyrannosaurus head bone fossil." He also told some stories about the origin of "Stan".

Netizens exclaimed that they could not imagine that this "mystery buyer" was Johnson. Two days later, Johnson clarified on the livestream that he was not a buyer of "Stan." He said that the Tyrannosaurus rex in his home was just a replica of "Stan" and that he had purchased it through a friend at the Geological Institute. Johnson also pointed out that if he were the owner of "Stan", he would never put such a precious fossil in a private space, but would display it in a museum for the world to see and study.

Real buyers show up

Now, this mystery has finally been solved, the original real buyer is actually the United Arab Emirates, worthy of the eyes of netizens everywhere luxury cars gold, everyone is rich and oily "local tycoon country".

The T-Rex will be the star exhibit of a new natural history museum in Abu Dhabi, which is expected to open in 2025. The Abu Dhabi Natural History Museum, which is currently under construction, is located in the Saadiyat Cultural District of the United Arab Emirates, which is also home to the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Guggenheim Museum in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking at a news conference, the Abu Dhabi Ministry of Culture and Tourism said: "Since 'Stan' will make its home at the Abu Dhabi Museum of Natural History, this 67 million-year-old dinosaur skeleton will be cared for by experts and will continue to contribute to education and research, inspiring future explorers." ”

The mysterious buyer who took the T-Rex skeleton for 200 million yuan appeared Not Dwayne Johnson, it was it!

Murchison meteorite specimen (Source: CNN)

In addition to "Stan," the new museum will also feature an extraordinary specimen of the Murchison meteorite, which fell in Australia more than 40 years ago, revealing to scientists new information about the early solar system, which contains the oldest material found on Earth.

Upstream News Compiled by Ruochen Yang

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