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The James E. Martin Paleontology Research Laboratory received international attention this week, as researchers from The University of Tokyo examined the School of Mines’ Tyrannosaurus rex specimen. Dr. Takanobu Tsuihiji, who is researching the evolution of the neck region of dinosaurs, visited the campus on Wednesday, Sept. 22, measuring the non-skull parts of the specimen to add data to a larger analysis. His research team gathered similar data from museums and collections in New York, Pittsburgh and other parts of the United States. The specimen is currently held in collection and not on display at the Museum of Geology, allowing researchers a more in-depth study. The Mines’ T. rex is about 40 percent of a complete skeleton, with the neck well represented, and was unearthed in 1981 in the Mud Butte area northeast of Sturgis, in Meade County.