What did we learn about messing with nature?

[kodiakthejuggler]

I learned that Computer Engineers are allowed to smoke non-stop in a control room filled with highly sensitive, multi-million dollar, mostly experimental equipment.

I learned that pink polo shirts should NEVER be used as a uniform.

I learned that big game hunters are completely inept when dealing with astoundingly smart pack hunters like Velociraptors.

I learned that short, rich old men with a limp are much less suited for reconnaissance than young, fit, strong women. Thank you, Dr. Sattler. I had no idea.

[Conor]

I have a question about the book vs movie.  I read the book in sixth grade, so don't remember anything about it, but here we go:

A) In the movie, do they ever solve the "Mystery" of the sick triceratops?  I don't recall them mentioning it again.

B)  Was this covered in more detail in the book?  If so, what was the cause and why was it important other than a chance to show the dinosaurs up close without them eating anyone.

[kodiakthejuggler]

I have a question about the book vs movie.  I read the book in sixth grade, so don't remember anything about it, but here we go:

A) In the movie, do they ever solve the "Mystery" of the sick triceratops?  I don't recall them mentioning it again.

B)  Was this covered in more detail in the book?  If so, what was the cause and why was it important other than a chance to show the dinosaurs up close without them eating anyone.

The subject was explained in the book, but it's been so darn long since I read it that I can't remember the details, but yes, it does factor heavily in the Dinosaurs' survival. It all has to do with the DNA restructuring and the use of frog DNA that causes it, I think.

Dr. Sattler realizes that the trike's pupils are dilated, and attributes it to something pharmacological. She suspects it's the local plant life, but it is then determined that the dinos weren't eating the poisonous lilac berries, which was an excuse to see a mountain of dino shit.

Just read the book again. It's SOOO much better than the movie. 

[Natureboy]

Just read the book again. It's SOOO much better than the movie. 

I think that was the actual tagline for The Lost World : Jurassic Park 2

[Chaos]

It has also been some time since I read the book (I read it about 2 years before the movie originally came out), but if memory serves, it turned out that the dinos WERE eating the poisonous plants, but since they were following a migratory pattern all over their portion of the island, they didn't crap the fruit evidence out until they reached another part of the island... by the time they reached the area with the berries again, they had already crapped out all of the evidence elsewhere and the poison was in their system. Or something like that.

[Just Some Guy]

Dr. Sattler realizes that the trike's pupils are dilated, and attributes it to something pharmacological. She suspects it's the local plant life, but it is then determined that the dinos weren't eating the poisonous lilac berries, which was an excuse to see a mountain of dino shit.

Funny, when she noted the dilated pupils in the movie I suspected something pharmacological too.  Something along the lines of the massive dose of tranquilizers the worker said they gave it in the previous line, for example.

[AmandaGal]

That's about the gist of it Chaos but in the book, wasn't it a stegosaurus?

[Chaos]

That's about the gist of it Chaos but in the book, wasn't it a stegosaurus?

Yes, that's right. I guess they decided that many spikes would be too hard to build on their full-sized model. Or that 3 head spikes were "cooler" than tail spikes.

[Natureboy]

I have a question about the book vs movie.  I read the book in sixth grade, so don't remember anything about it, but here we go:

A) In the movie, do they ever solve the "Mystery" of the sick triceratops?  I don't recall them mentioning it again.

B)  Was this covered in more detail in the book?  If so, what was the cause and why was it important other than a chance to show the dinosaurs up close without them eating anyone.

Thanks alot Conor.......now I have to go back and re-read the book again.   

[MartyS (Gromit)]

I have a question about the book vs movie.  I read the book in sixth grade, so don't remember anything about it, but here we go:

A) In the movie, do they ever solve the "Mystery" of the sick triceratops?  I don't recall them mentioning it again.

B)  Was this covered in more detail in the book?  If so, what was the cause and why was it important other than a chance to show the dinosaurs up close without them eating anyone.

Thanks alot Conor.......now I have to go back and re-read the book again.   

I'm going to have to get out my copy and look it over, if you skip over the long speeches by Malcolm it is better than the movie:

The dinos trying to instinctively migrate, the mystery as to who the thief is (totally blown at the start of the movie), the baby raptors getting onto the boat as it leaves for the mainland.....

[hare.29]

Ok, it's also been approximately 15 years since I read the book (yikes) but might the sick trike be related to the lysine deficiency?

[RoninFox]

I also remember the book mentioning the stegosaurs were swallowing stones then regurgitating them later, the stones helping them break down plant matter in their stomach.  This was how they were eating the berries, that were mixed in with the stones.

[AmandaGal]

The sick Stego was really because of the berries.  I always get mad because the movie doesn't explain it.

I've read JP approximately one million times. I was a lonely High Schooler.  As I was telling the folks in the chat room, my friends and I used to get together at lunch and actively debate the science in Michael Crichton books

See, I told them some day it would come in handy.

[hare.29]

Has anyone looked into the 'recreating dinosaurs' show that Discovery Channel has been hyping?

[Gamera]

I have a question about the book vs movie.  I read the book in sixth grade, so don't remember anything about it, but here we go:

A) In the movie, do they ever solve the "Mystery" of the sick triceratops?  I don't recall them mentioning it again.

B)  Was this covered in more detail in the book?  If so, what was the cause and why was it important other than a chance to show the dinosaurs up close without them eating anyone.

I think it was a prelude to the dinosaurs changing sex so that "life can find a way."  Every 6 months they get sick while trying to push out a penis.