Page 17 - Eclipse - Autumn 2015

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The RVC on TV Dinosaur dissection
Professor John Hutchinson, of the Structure and Motion Laboratory at the RVC (pictured below right), was featured as a principal scienti c consultant on
a new documentary for the National Geographic Channel, “T rex Autopsy”.
The show is the rst of its kind and features the
12 metre long physically modelled carcass of a
T rex, which is dissected on camera. This unique exploration of dinosaur anatomy enabled a group of scientists, accompanied by a vet, to get inside the carcass among skin, esh and organs. It revealed the size and structure of its heart, its bird-like lungs and digestive tract, as well as other vital organs. This helps to illuminate to a global audience how the dinosaur lived, ate and reproduced.
Professor Hutchinson’s research has helped revise our understanding of T rex, such as revealing why the Tyrannosaurus was not a fast runner, and was therefore a perfect choice for scienti c consultant. The accuracy of the physical model was central
to the show. For example, the body of the T rex adhered to latest scienti c evidence suggesting a mix of scales, bristly feathers and a pebbly hide.
“While such a dissection is utter fantasy, using a huge body of research that scientists have built up, the documentary paints as accurate a portrait as is currently possible of T rex, in an entertaining if gory fashion,” states John. “This is a landmark moment in engaging the public with the modern state of paleontological research.
“We can learn amazing things without needing time machines - science is a sort of time machine, and documentaries like ’T rex Autopsy’ use imagination, storytelling and special effects to get us the rest of the way toward understanding the past”.
‘T rex Autopsy’ premiered on 7th June at 8pm on the National Geographic Channel.
Photographs courtesy of National Geographic Channels/Stuart Freedman