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, 鈥淭 rex Autopsy鈥�.
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鈥檚 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.
鈥淲hile 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,鈥� states John. 鈥淭his is a landmark moment in engaging the public with the modern state of paleontological research.
鈥淲e can learn amazing things without needing time machines - science is a sort of time machine, and documentaries like 鈥橳 rex Autopsy鈥� use imagination, storytelling and special effects to get us the rest of the way toward understanding the past鈥�.
鈥楾 rex Autopsy鈥� premiered on 7th June at 8pm on the National Geographic Channel.
Photographs courtesy of National Geographic Channels/Stuart Freedman