This reflection on the themes of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom avoids spoilers, but as always feel free to wait until you've seen the movie if you want to know nothing about it when watching. It is widely reported that an asteroid strike 65 million years ago caused dinosaurs to go extinct, although a variety of hypotheses including widespread volcanic eruptions remain plausible as alternatives. In Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, there is no doubt that a single volcano could wipe out the small cluster of de-extinct … [Read more...] about Science Corner: Ashes to Ashes, But What of Synthetic Dinosaurs?
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Jurassic July: Look, Don’t Touch
The final post in a series on the Jurassic Park films, mainly Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. We will be discussing the films in detail, so spoilers are possible but will be kept to a minimum. I don't believe anyone actually invokes the name Frankenstein in any of the Jurassic Park films, but the specter of the mad doctor and his monster loom large. The main lesson we seem to have learned from Mary Shelley's story is that you don't mix and match when it comes to nature. (As with Sherlock Holmes' deerstalker, … [Read more...] about Jurassic July: Look, Don’t Touch
Jurassic July: Safety Not Guaranteed
For the rest of July, we will be taking a look at the Jurassic Park films, mainly Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. We will be discussing the films in detail, so spoilers are possible but will be kept to a minimum. Risks can be challenging to human perception. Some are obvious, like a 13-foot-tall carnivore with big, nasty, pointy teeth. Just about everyone in the Jurassic Park films appreciates the danger of claws and fangs, even if their safety mechanisms and procedures suggest otherwise (moats or ditches have … [Read more...] about Jurassic July: Safety Not Guaranteed
Jurassic July: Velociraptor’s a Pack Hunter
For the rest of July, we will be taking a look at the Jurassic Park films, mainly Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. We will be discussing the films in detail, so spoilers are possible but will be kept to a minimum. Last week, we looked at some of the conflicts in the Jurassic Park stories; conflict is good for narratives, but it isn't necessarily at the heart of science. Collaboration is at least as crucial, probably more so. A diversity of interests and non-overlapping priorities can be useful for refining ideas … [Read more...] about Jurassic July: Velociraptor’s a Pack Hunter
Jurassic July: The Three-Legged Stool of Science
For the rest of July, we will be taking a look at the Jurassic Park films, mainly Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. We will be discussing the films in detail, so spoilers are possible but will be kept to a minimum. When I was a microbiology graduate student, it was generally understood that there were three broad career options: continue on in academia, work for the government, or join the corporate world. Any discussion of one's future plans and goals typically started with a question about that threefold choice. … [Read more...] about Jurassic July: The Three-Legged Stool of Science