Predatory dinosaurs may have evolved beady eyes and strangely shaped skulls in order to be better hunters, according to the results of a newly published study.

Over the past 4.5 billion years, life on Earth has been steadily but surely evolving into a fantastic variety of forms. Dinosaurs, prior to their existence being rudely interrupted by the cataclysmic impact of a 10 - 15 km wide asteroid some 66 million years ago, were no exception to this rule.

Fresh research posted today in the journal Communications Biology suggests that some of the largest and most fearsome dinosaurs may have undergone an evolutionary bargain that saw the size of their eyes reduced — and the shape of their skulls altered — in favor of a more powerful attack.

Dr. Stephan Lautenschlager, the lead author of the study from the University of Birmingham, examined the skull shapes of over 400 dinosaurs in order to determine whether there was a relationship between a dino’s eye sockets and the strength of their bites.

While there were many types of eye sockets observed in the fossil skulls, they can largely be broken down into two groups — dinosaurs with more regular, circular eye sockets, and those who had more unusually shaped, and often elongated sockets.

"The results show that only some dinosaurs had eye sockets that were elliptical or keyhole-shaped. However, all of those were large, carnivorous dinosaurs with skull lengths of 1 m or more." said Dr. Lautenschlager.

The results of the study revealed that the majority of dinosaurs involved — including small species, juveniles, and herbivores — boasted circular eye sockets. However, the skulls of larger predatory dinosaurs that existed nearer the top of the food chain, such as the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex, featured relatively small eyes with elliptical or figure-of-eight-shaped sockets.

This structural divergence seemed to be driven by the size of the carnivore’s skull, with nightmarishly large skulls being more likely to evolve the strangely-shaped sockets.

“In these species, just the upper part of the eye socket was actually occupied by the eyeball. This also led to a relative reduction of eye size compared with skull size,” explained Dr. Lautenschlager.

Computer simulated stress tests also revealed that dinosaur skulls with divergent eye sockets were better at managing the mechanical stresses of feeding on large prey compared to those whose skulls retained a circular socket.

In other words this evolutionary curveball allowed larger dinos to bite down harder without hurting themselves — a trait which is both useful and horrifying in equal measure. For more dinosaur talking points check out this article detailing the most ancient belly button ever discovered, and thank us later.

Anthony Wood is a freelance writer for IGN.

Article Image Credit: Shutterstock, Elisa Manzati

It looks as though the John Wick spin-off show The Continental is here to stay. The highly anticipated John Wick prequel has been picked up by Peacock on a multi-year deal, ensuring

“The John Wick films have become a global phenomenon, are among the most watched titles on Peacock and we are thrilled and honored to partner with Lionsgate to extend this incredible franchise,” said Peacock president Kelly Campbell.

NBCUniversal is calling The Continental an "event" and promises to promote the prequel series heavily on its streaming platform.

The Continental stars Colin Woodell as Winston – the manager of the eponymous hotel that first appeared in the John Wick film series.

We last saw Winston (played in the films by Ian McShane) in John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum after the High Table assaulted the famed hotel while it harbored the fugitive Wick. After helping John to fend off an attack by the assassin Zero, he agrees to parley with The Adjudicator… And it’s not long before The Continental regains its neutral status. After Winston shoots John.

Of course, he isn’t shot dead… and we’ll find out whether or not Winston pulled his shot in the upcoming John Wick 4. But in the meantime, The Continental will give us more of Winston’s early history – heading to our screens in 2023.

“John Wick has become part of the cultural zeitgeist with a massive, passionately engaged fan base around the world,” said Lionsgate Television Group chair Kevin Beggs. “We’re delighted to partner with Peacock to continue expanding the John Wick Universe."

The Continental will apparently give us some background on the young Winston, who’s “dragged through 1975 New York” to face a past he thought he’d put behind him. But he’s not the manager of the hotel just yet… and in an attempt to seize control of the iconic neutral ground, he’s forced to take on the underworld of New York City.

Woodell is joined by Ayomide Adegun who will play a younger version of Lance Reddick’s iconic hotelier, Charon. They’re joined by Peter Greene, Ben Robson, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Jessica Allain, Mishel Prada, and Nhung Kate.

Want to read more about John Wick? Check out our first look at John Wick’s return not to mention the film’s gripping first trailer.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

It looks as though the John Wick spin-off show The Continental is here to stay. The highly anticipated John Wick prequel has been picked up by Peacock on a multi-year deal, ensuring

“The John Wick films have become a global phenomenon, are among the most watched titles on Peacock and we are thrilled and honored to partner with Lionsgate to extend this incredible franchise,” said Peacock president Kelly Campbell.

NBCUniversal is calling The Continental an "event" and promises to promote the prequel series heavily on its streaming platform.

The Continental stars Colin Woodell as Winston – the manager of the eponymous hotel that first appeared in the John Wick film series.

We last saw Winston (played in the films by Ian McShane) in John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum after the High Table assaulted the famed hotel while it harbored the fugitive Wick. After helping John to fend off an attack by the assassin Zero, he agrees to parley with The Adjudicator… And it’s not long before The Continental regains its neutral status. After Winston shoots John.

Of course, he isn’t shot dead… and we’ll find out whether or not Winston pulled his shot in the upcoming John Wick 4. But in the meantime, The Continental will give us more of Winston’s early history – heading to our screens in 2023.

“John Wick has become part of the cultural zeitgeist with a massive, passionately engaged fan base around the world,” said Lionsgate Television Group chair Kevin Beggs. “We’re delighted to partner with Peacock to continue expanding the John Wick Universe."

The Continental will apparently give us some background on the young Winston, who’s “dragged through 1975 New York” to face a past he thought he’d put behind him. But he’s not the manager of the hotel just yet… and in an attempt to seize control of the iconic neutral ground, he’s forced to take on the underworld of New York City.

Woodell is joined by Ayomide Adegun who will play a younger version of Lance Reddick’s iconic hotelier, Charon. They’re joined by Peter Greene, Ben Robson, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Jessica Allain, Mishel Prada, and Nhung Kate.

Want to read more about John Wick? Check out our first look at John Wick’s return not to mention the film’s gripping first trailer.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Microids has released the first gameplay of the XIII remaster's remaster as it attempts to right the wrongs of the original's disastrous launch.

Three minutes of the SPADS Military Base sequence was released (below) giving fans a proper look (and listen) at the reimagined art style plus new HUD, sound design, and enhanced A.I.

The new footage certainly appears more connected to the original PlayStation 2 and GameCube game, bringing back a more cartoon-like art style that fans called for following the release of the first remaster. This 2020 version featured a more cell-shaded design blended with realism that was criticized for departing from XIII's graphic novel roots.

This new version - which will be available as a free update on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC and for the first time for Nintendo Switch on September 13 - will also run at 60 frames per second and feature a multiplayer mode.

This new remaster was announced in June 2022 after the original was heavily criticized for its myriad technical issues that garnered an "overwhelmingly negative" review on Steam.

Original remaster developer PlayMagic is not involved at all with this new version, with French studio Tower Five instead taking the helm.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Microids has released the first gameplay of the XIII remaster's remaster as it attempts to right the wrongs of the original's disastrous launch.

Three minutes of the SPADS Military Base sequence was released (below) giving fans a proper look (and listen) at the reimagined art style plus new HUD, sound design, and enhanced A.I.

The new footage certainly appears more connected to the original PlayStation 2 and GameCube game, bringing back a more cartoon-like art style that fans called for following the release of the first remaster. This 2020 version featured a more cell-shaded design blended with realism that was criticized for departing from XIII's graphic novel roots.

This new version - which will be available as a free update on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC and for the first time for Nintendo Switch on September 13 - will also run at 60 frames per second and feature a multiplayer mode.

This new remaster was announced in June 2022 after the original was heavily criticized for its myriad technical issues that garnered an "overwhelmingly negative" review on Steam.

Original remaster developer PlayMagic is not involved at all with this new version, with French studio Tower Five instead taking the helm.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

A first ever Disney and Marvel Games Showcase will debut next month, featuring brand new video game announcements from the likes of Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel, and more.

The digital showcase will debut during the D23 Expo on September 9 and has already promised further updates on Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Amy Hennig’s Marvel ensemble game from Skydance New Media, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, and Disney Dreamlight Valley.

Marvel Games, Lucasfilm Games, and 20th Century Games will all be present to some degree during the showcase, bringing “reveals, announcements, and trailers for new and upcoming games,” according to Disney.

The Disney and Marvel Games Showcase will be streamed simultaneously online, meaning even those not at the D23 Expo can watch along. It will be available on the expo’s YouTube and social media channels alongside Disney and Marvel’s main channels at 1PM Pacific / 4PM Eastern / 9PM UK (and 6AM on September 10 AEST).

Given that this is the inaugural games showcase from Disney and Marvel it’s unclear exactly what calibre of announcements will be made during the event, but there are plenty of Marvel and Star Wars games in development to choose from.

Spider-Man 2 from Insomniac Games was announced last September and relatively little has been said about it since despite an expected release year of 2023. A Wolverine game is also in development at Insomniac, and a digital card game called Marvel Snap is currently in beta and awaiting an official release date announcement.

On the Star Wars front, we know that Star Wars: Hunters, the Overwatch-style multiplayer game from Zynga, was recently delayed to 2023. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, a sequel to Fallen Order, was announced in May with a teaser trailer, so developer Respawn may show a little more during this showcase.

Amy Hennig is also working on a Star Wars game, and various others, including an open world game from Ubisoft, a first-person shooter from Respawn, a Knights of the Old Republic remake, and Star Wars Eclipse - a story-driven game with branching paths - are all in development too.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

A first ever Disney and Marvel Games Showcase will debut next month, featuring brand new video game announcements from the likes of Star Wars, Pixar, Marvel, and more.

The digital showcase will debut during the D23 Expo on September 9 and has already promised further updates on Marvel’s Midnight Suns, Amy Hennig’s Marvel ensemble game from Skydance New Media, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, and Disney Dreamlight Valley.

Marvel Games, Lucasfilm Games, and 20th Century Games will all be present to some degree during the showcase, bringing “reveals, announcements, and trailers for new and upcoming games,” according to Disney.

The Disney and Marvel Games Showcase will be streamed simultaneously online, meaning even those not at the D23 Expo can watch along. It will be available on the expo’s YouTube and social media channels alongside Disney and Marvel’s main channels at 1PM Pacific / 4PM Eastern / 9PM UK (and 6AM on September 10 AEST).

Given that this is the inaugural games showcase from Disney and Marvel it’s unclear exactly what calibre of announcements will be made during the event, but there are plenty of Marvel and Star Wars games in development to choose from.

Spider-Man 2 from Insomniac Games was announced last September and relatively little has been said about it since despite an expected release year of 2023. A Wolverine game is also in development at Insomniac, and a digital card game called Marvel Snap is currently in beta and awaiting an official release date announcement.

On the Star Wars front, we know that Star Wars: Hunters, the Overwatch-style multiplayer game from Zynga, was recently delayed to 2023. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, a sequel to Fallen Order, was announced in May with a teaser trailer, so developer Respawn may show a little more during this showcase.

Amy Hennig is also working on a Star Wars game, and various others, including an open world game from Ubisoft, a first-person shooter from Respawn, a Knights of the Old Republic remake, and Star Wars Eclipse - a story-driven game with branching paths - are all in development too.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard claims she was paid “so much less” than Chris Pratt.

During an interview with Insider, the 41-year-old actress revealed that she was paid less than her co-star for the Jurassic World series despite his fight for equal pay.

“I was paid so much less than the reports even said, so much less,” said Howard. “When I started negotiating for [Jurassic World], it was 2014 and it was a different world, and I was at a great disadvantage. And, unfortunately, you have to sign up for three movies and so your deals are set.”

Howard and Pratt revitalized the Jurassic Park franchise in 2014 with Jurassic World. However, even back in 2018, Variety revealed that Howard was paid $2 million less than her co-star – taking home $8 million for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom as opposed to Pratt’s $10 million check.

Now, that figure is likely to have been a lot more.

Although Howard and Pratt continued the franchise with the recent Jurassic World Dominion it looks as though she continued to get the short end of the stick. Even though Pratt did try to help her negotiate better pay.

“What I will say is that Chris and I have discussed it, and whenever there was an opportunity to move the needle on stuff that hadn’t been already negotiated, like a game or a ride, he literally told me, ‘You guys don’t even have to do anything. I’m gonna do all the negotiating. We’re gonna be paid the same and you don’t have to think about this, Bryce.’”

“I love him so much for doing that,” Howard added. “I really do, because I’ve been paid more for those kinds of things than I ever was for the movie.”

It’s certainly a pretty honorable thing to do. But Howard shouldn’t really have to fight for equal pay in the first place. Unfortunately, Hollywood continues to struggle with an inherent pay gap between male and female costars.

Jurassic World Dominion also saw the return of Jurassic Park legends Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill. But many criticized the film for squandering this reunion in the wake of poor reviews.

Want to read more about Jurassic World Dominion? Check out our explanation of the film’s ending, not to mention our full review of the 2022 dinosaur action flick.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Jurassic World star Bryce Dallas Howard claims she was paid “so much less” than Chris Pratt.

During an interview with Insider, the 41-year-old actress revealed that she was paid less than her co-star for the Jurassic World series despite his fight for equal pay.

“I was paid so much less than the reports even said, so much less,” said Howard. “When I started negotiating for [Jurassic World], it was 2014 and it was a different world, and I was at a great disadvantage. And, unfortunately, you have to sign up for three movies and so your deals are set.”

Howard and Pratt revitalized the Jurassic Park franchise in 2014 with Jurassic World. However, even back in 2018, Variety revealed that Howard was paid $2 million less than her co-star – taking home $8 million for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom as opposed to Pratt’s $10 million check.

Now, that figure is likely to have been a lot more.

Although Howard and Pratt continued the franchise with the recent Jurassic World Dominion it looks as though she continued to get the short end of the stick. Even though Pratt did try to help her negotiate better pay.

“What I will say is that Chris and I have discussed it, and whenever there was an opportunity to move the needle on stuff that hadn’t been already negotiated, like a game or a ride, he literally told me, ‘You guys don’t even have to do anything. I’m gonna do all the negotiating. We’re gonna be paid the same and you don’t have to think about this, Bryce.’”

“I love him so much for doing that,” Howard added. “I really do, because I’ve been paid more for those kinds of things than I ever was for the movie.”

It’s certainly a pretty honorable thing to do. But Howard shouldn’t really have to fight for equal pay in the first place. Unfortunately, Hollywood continues to struggle with an inherent pay gap between male and female costars.

Jurassic World Dominion also saw the return of Jurassic Park legends Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill. But many criticized the film for squandering this reunion in the wake of poor reviews.

Want to read more about Jurassic World Dominion? Check out our explanation of the film’s ending, not to mention our full review of the 2022 dinosaur action flick.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.

Popular TV network The CW will soon be under new ownership.

According to Deadline, local TV giants Nexstar Media Group will acquire 75% of The CW, becoming the company’s largest shareholder. Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global will continue to own 12.5% each.

“[The CW] has been home to some of the most ground-breaking and generation-defining programming in television,” said Warner Bros Television Group chief Channing Dungey. “We are forever grateful to our partners at the CW, especially Mark Pedowitz, who has been a great friend to the studio for so many years, and to me personally. We know that the network will continue to thrive under his leadership.”

Mark Pedowitz will continue as chairman and CEO of The CW while Warner Bros. will reportedly continue making scripted content for the network.

“[Warner Bros. will continue]to collaborate on our shared series and future projects to come under Nexstar’s leadership,” added Dungey.

The CW currently airs Superman & Lois and has been the de facto home to DC’s television output for many years, airing Arrow, The Flash, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow among others. Although there’s been speculation of a takeover from Nexstar for some months, the company previously remained quiet, only announcing the purchase today in an SEC filing and press release.

“Together, with our partners at Warner Bros. and the CW, we have created a welcome home for content that has resonated with viewers on the network and on platforms around the world,” said CBS chief George Cheeks. “This new ownership structure enables us to partner with Nexstar and Warner Bros Discovery on the next chapter of the CW while re-deploying capital to other content platforms at Paramount.”

Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but Nexstar is expected to take on all of The CW’s debt, and has made the acquisition with “no upfront considerations”.

Warner Bros. Discovery has been looking to make cost-cutting measures following its high-profile merger, and the sale of The CW is sure to help balance the books. But with the studio also offloading the likes of Batgirl, it makes DC Entertainment projects seem like a tricky sell, even if WB does continue to make the shows for the network.

What happens to The CW’s WB projects now remains to be seen. But with Nexstar apparently planning to gear the network towards broadcast over streaming, this could mean some interesting changes.

Want to read more about Batgirl and the Warner Bros. Discover merger? Check out which upcoming DC projects have been affected, and why Batgirl was canceled in the first place.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.