In news that makes me really regret not winning the lotto last night (I knew I should have played), one of the largest and most complete t-rex fossils was recently sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $50.1 million to an anonymous phone bidder (crazy how professional I can make myself sound on the phone). The 12.5-foot tall, 38-foot long skeleton is the most expensive fossil ever sold, and blew past the $20-30-million pre-auction estimate.

The t-rex, nicknamed Gus because it was discovered on Gary “Gus” Licking’s South Dakota ranch, is legal to sell in the US because fossils are considered property of the landowner. Unfortunately for Licking, he passed in 2022. Sometimes life comes at you fast, and $50-million comes at you slower. Scientists aren’t thrilled about the sale because if the fossil winds up in a private collection it would no longer be available for study. Admittedly, that is a bummer. Unless the person who bought it plans to use it to unlock the secrets of cloning, in which case, godspeed. I’m sure the scientists will forgive you when they’re running for their lives from real t-rexes.