Re: t-rex gout

["Allan Edels" <Edels@email.msn.com>]

Ken, et al;

   

    (For those of you who do not have email readers that allow you to see it - I've bold-ed the end of the first sentence below, after the comma - to emphasize my point).  

 

    Based on Ken's analysis, the _T. rex_ with gout is an older male.  We can you this speculation to compare with earlier speculations about male vs. female _T. rex_.  Are the males (the ones with gout) the smaller, more gracile morphs? or are they the larger, more robust forms?  Also, can we determine the supposed age (based on LAGs) to compare with Ken's proposal (of an older individual)?

 

    Allan Edels

SNIP

 

If their metabolism is similar to humans, I would expect a T-rex with gout to be male and an older individual.  As an aside, humans have increased levels of uric acid compared to prosimians and other lower primates.  Uric acid is a very powerful antioxident, on the level of vitamin C, and it has been proposed that it may contribute to human's longer life span although this has no supporting evidence at present.      Ken Clay,M.D.