  In an unconventional presentation of the data on the transverse momentum
spectra of baryons produced in heavy-ion collisions, regularities are found
that make possible the discovery of a universal formula valid for $p, \Lambda,
\Xi$ and $\Omega$. The formula describes the baryon distributions over wide
ranges of $p_T (0.5 \ ^<_\sim\ p_T \ ^<_\sim\ 5$ GeV/c) for $0.06 \ ^<_\sim\
\sqrt {s_{NN}} \ ^<_\sim\ 3$ TeV, except for very peripheral collisions. Some
aspects of their empirical properties are derived in the recombination model,
resulting in a revelation of some features of the light and strange quark
distributions before hadronization. Interpretation of the inverse slopes of
their exponential behavior leads to an implication that cannot accommodate the
conventional description of fluid flow. This is mainly a study of phenomenology
without detailed model input.
