From CNN Study: T-rex could outrun David Beckham
 

Well at least this great debate has been settled




http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science...eut/index.html

Study: T-rex could outrun David Beckham

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- The smallest dinosaur could reach speeds of nearly 40 miles per hour and even the lumbering Tyrannosaurus rex would have been able to outrun most modern-day sportsmen, according to research published on Wednesday.

Even T-rex, who wasn't incredibly fast, could chase down footballer David Beckham.

Scientists using computer models calculated the top speeds for five meat-eating dinosaurs in a study they say can also illustrate how animals cope with climate change and extinction.

The velociraptor, whose speed and ferocity was highlighted in the film "Jurassic Park", reached 24 miles per hour while the T-rex could muster speeds of up to 18 miles per hour, the study published in the Royal Society's Biological Sciences showed.

"Our research, which used the minimum leg-muscle mass T-rex required for movement, suggests that while not incredibly fast, this carnivore was certainly capable of running and would have little difficulty in chasing down footballer David Beckham, for instance," said Phil Manning, a paleontologist at the University of Manchester, who worked on the study.

The smallest dinosaur -- the Compsognathus -- could run nearly 40 miles per hour, about 5 miles per hour faster than the computer's estimate for the fastest living animal on two legs, the ostrich.

A top human sprinter can reach a speed of about 25 miles per hour.

The researchers used a computer model to calculate the running speeds of the five dinosaurs that varied in size from the 6.6 pound Compsognathus to a six-ton Tyrannosaurus.

They fed information about the skeletal and muscular structure of the dinosaurs into the computer and ran a simulation tens of millions of times to see how fast the animals moved, said William Sellers, a zoologist at the University of Manchester, who led the study.

They checked their method by inputting data of a human with the muscle and bone structure of a professional sportsman and found the computer accurately spat out a top running speed just behind T-rex's pace.

"People have estimated speeds before but they have always been indirect estimates and hard to verify," Sellers said. "What we found is they were all perfectly capable of running."

Looking at how these ancient animals lived and died out is also important in trying to predict how modern day species may cope with future climate change, Sellers added.

This study helps to build a biological picture that scientists can use to better understand how dinosaurs adapted to changes in the weather just before they went extinct some 65 million years ago, he said.

"Knowing how these animals coped over the past millions of years will give us clues to what is going to happen over the next thousand years," he said. "That is why there has been more recent interest in biology of these animals."

wtf.

fascinating

what faster caveman or liger

thanks

I won't believe this until a cloned T Rex chases down Beckham and rips him apart.

Science should work towards that goal.

The funny thing is that the T-rex outrunning Beckham was a throw away line. A "for example" type statement... but it was made the headline.

Well, Jeff Goldblum couldn't outrun them in Jurassic Park 2, why would anyone think otherwise?

True, but it's the kind of headline that would get more people to read the article than otherwise would.

I had no idea an ostrich was the fastest thing on 2 legs..

What the shit? You mean David Beckham can't run 40 miles per hour? What a friggin' load.

How is he orth $250 Million. At least ARod can run 40mph. Well, that is until he beefed up recently.

Beckham chooses not to run 40mph. But he could if he wanted to.

Nice... this could be the beginning of a beautiful Chuck Norris-ication of David Beckham.

I submit that there has never been anything cooler than a T. rex.

Beckham will revolutionize the way America watches people being chased down and devowered by dinosaurs.

But could a T-Rex outeat Joey Chestnut? I think that's what we all really want to know.

I it was a "happy thought for the day" type headline.

I think there are a lot of people who I'd love to see if they could outrun a T-Rex. Could we clone one and start the races in DC?

SI

SPOILER PLEASE!!!11!1!

This thread is gold.

A T-Rex could also eat more than Big Papi.

Beckham's never been that fast, really. I'd be more impressed if T-Rex could outrun someone like Thierry Henry or something.

I don't think a T-Rex was very good at passing, though.

If Beckham was a dinosaur, he'd be a T-Rex.

Poor receivers too. Talk about short-arming a catch!

The T-Rex takes off too early and too often. It's exciting, but doesn't help his team win more than 9 games a season.

But a when a T-Rex is on, he can devour an entire defense.

I once saw a T-Rex beat the Packers in the playoffs, in Lambeau Field!

Wait, who are we talking about again?

That band sucked.

I can't get my T-Rex out of the beer tent.

What would happen if a T-Rex chased down Bonds?
Would Bonds Growth Hormone inflated head fit in its mouth?

If so would the T-rex then be subject to gift tax for eating the homerun champ?

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/m...ctive-feature/

This is a good article that goes over advances in our knowledge about dinosaurs. Good stuff.

(nods)

Da Bears would outrun the T-Rex.

I was going to say "I hadn't seen this before" and, yet, there I was posting in it more than a decade ago

SI

"Now, gentlemen, let me ask you this: What if Da Bears were all 14 inches tall, you know, about so high? Now, what’s your score of today’s game [against the T-Rexes]?"

SI

How many 5 year old T-Rexes could you kill?

Probably zero.

What if the T-Rex was being ridden by coach Ditka?

It's hard to believe that this joke from 13 years ago is still relevant.

But since the T-Rex has short arms, Beckham could score pretty easy on one

I don't think you can count on the T-Rex to stay in goal. It would play a very aggressive defense.

So if chased by a t-rex, you don't need to outrun the t-rex, just outrun David Beckham. Good to know.