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Science
Friday > Archives
> 2002
> March
> March 1, 2002:
Hour Two: Running T. rex / Jupiter
A coordinated effort using two space craft, Gallileo and Cassini, plus
the orbiting Hubble and Chandra observatories, is paying off. Data collected
during the dual fly-by is providing loads of new information about the
planet Jupiter and its magnetic environment. In this hour, we'll talk
with scientists about what they're learning from the observations.
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Plus, should T. rex try out for the track team? Probably
not--a new study questions whether the dinosaurs had enough muscle
to be able to run rapidly.
While some researchers have argued that the dinosaur should be
able to hit top speeds of 25-45 miles an hour, a paper in the
journal Nature says that they couldn't have had enough muscle
mass for that -- that a more reasonable speed for a T. rex
would be closer to 10 mph. In order to reach 45 mph, the authors
say, 86 % of the mass of a T. rex would need to be leg
muscle. We'll find out more.
Call in with your comments and questions at 1-800-989-8255, and
share your opinions online in our Listeners'
Lounge (registration
required).
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(image © Luis
Rey,
courtesy of John Hutchinson)
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Guests:
John Hutchinson
National Science Foundation postdoctoral research fellow
Neuromuscular
Biomechanics Lab
Stanford University
Stanford, California
Bruce Margon
Associate Director, Science
Space Telescope Science Institute
Baltimore, Maryland
Thomas Hill
Professor
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
Rice University
Houston, Texas
Linda Spilker
Deputy Project Scientist, Cassini
Mission
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasedena, California
Books/Articles Discussed:
Related Links:
NY Times
(free reg. req'd):Achilles' Heel Found in Legs of the T. Rex
Tyrannosaurus Was Not A Fast Runner
Tyrannosaurus
rex probably could not run fast, scientists say : 02/02
Cassini-Huygens
Mission to Saturn and Titan
Galileo
Project Home
Galileo
Project: Press Release
E/PO
at STScI
The
Chandra X-ray Observatory Center
Chandra
Press Room - February 27, 2002
Unique
Spacecraft Group Probes Jupiter Magnetosphere
AGU
Web Site: Space Physics and Astronomy Converge in Exploration of Jupiter's
Magnetosphere
Galileo
Crosses Into Jupiter's Magnetosphere
Jupiter
Magnetosphere Overview
- This segment produced by: Charles
Bergquist
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