illtron writes "British scientists at the University of Manchester were apparently bored and decided to find out, once and for all, if the Velociraptor was as mean as Jurassic Park would like everyone to think. They created a robotic Velociraptor leg to simulate the effect that leg would have on pig and crocodile skin. It turns out that disemboweling a dino probably would have been out of the question, since the best that big claw could do was usually just to leave a deep puncture." From the article: "I realized that the sick-claw was not a knife, but was rather more like the claw of a cat. Cats use their claws to pierce and hold prey, not to disembowel. Whereas my work was mostly theoretical, Phil took one step farther as he was given the opportunity to mechanically test the disemboweling hypothesis. His work is very important," Velociraptor Bad At Disemboweling Log in/Create an Account | Top | 140 comments | Search Discussion Display Options Threshold: -1: 140 comments 0: 137 comments 1: 97 comments 2: 68 comments 3: 15 comments 4: 7 comments 5: 3 comments Flat Nested No Comments Threaded Oldest First Newest First Highest Scores First Oldest First (Ignore Threads) Newest First (Ignore Threads) The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way. That's when the attack comes... (Score:2, Funny) by Cruithne (658153) on Friday October 21, @10:37PM (#13850191) (http://www.zionlan.net/) ... from the other two raptors you didnt even know were there. And they DO have disembowling claws, unlike this obvious decoy. [ Reply to ThisRe:That's when the attack comes... by slashname3 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:23PM I nominate this... (Score:2) by DrEldarion (114072) on Friday October 21, @10:38PM (#13850194) (http://www.dealmein.net/) ... for next year's IgNobel prize. [ Reply to ThisRe:I nominate this... by phasm42 (Score:3) Friday October 21, @10:43PMRe:I nominate this... by ratnerstar (Score:1) Saturday October 22, @12:00AMRe:I nominate this... by Seumas (Score:2) Friday October 21, @10:54PM PHEAR THE CLAW (Score:1) by Placebo Messiah (895157) on Friday October 21, @10:40PM (#13850207) Needs more laserbeam [ Reply to This Unconvincing (Score:4, Insightful) by geordieboy (515166) on Friday October 21, @10:42PM (#13850215) It seems possible their methodology and conclusions are flawed. If you saw away at a large chunk of meat with a small but sharp knife you can make a deep wound. Why do they assume the raptor attacks in a short stabbing motion? What about other modes of attack their "robotic arm" doesn't simulate? [ Reply to ThisRe:Unconvincing by Helios1182 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:01PMRe:Unconvincing by geordieboy (Score:3) Friday October 21, @11:16PMIt's about repeatability by tepples (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:23AMRe:Unconvincing by Kaboom13 (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:41AMRe:Unconvincing by kfg (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:30PMRe:Unconvincing by Scratch-O-Matic (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:41PMRe:Unconvincing by ikkonoishi (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:51PMRe:Unconvincing by Scratch-O-Matic (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:07AMRe:Unconvincing by AndroidCat (Score:1) Saturday October 22, @12:16AM Who care about TFA (Score:4, Insightful) by zappepcs (820751) on Friday October 21, @10:43PM (#13850221) (http://www.asomaworld.net/zinn | Last Journal: Tuesday October 04, @08:28PM) Just how cool is it to be paid to test "stuff" like that?Fsck! I need a job like that! [ Reply to ThisRe:Who care about TFA by $RANDOMLUSER (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:31PMRe:Who care about TFA by Spy der Mann (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:47PM2 replies beneath your current threshold. Remember, in 2008! (Score:1) by Seumas (6865) on Friday October 21, @10:43PM (#13850227) Robo-Raptor for President! [ Reply to ThisRe:Remember, in 2008! by bersl2 (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:20PMRe:Remember, in 2008! by bladesjester (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:34PM2 replies beneath your current threshold.1 reply beneath your current threshold. Cats don't disembowel? (Score:5, Funny) by Matey-O (518004) <michaeljohnmiller@mSPAMsSPAMnSPAM.com> on Friday October 21, @10:44PM (#13850231) (http://slashdot.org/ | Last Journal: Tuesday February 19, @11:25AM) "I realized that the sick-claw was not a knife, but was rather more like the claw of a cat. Cats use their claws to pierce and hold prey, not to disembowel. He's obviously never had a catnipped-up cat grab a hold of his forearm with the front claws and use it's back legs to scrape the everlovincrap out of him. [ Reply to ThisRe:Cats don't disembowel? by discordja (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:04PMRe:Cats don't disembowel? by MadAhab (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:11PMRe:Cats don't disembowel? by commodoresloat (Score:3) Friday October 21, @11:30PMRe:Cats don't disembowel? by DwarfGoanna (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:38PMRe:Cats don't disembowel? by DwarfGoanna (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:45PMRe:Cats don't disembowel? by dmaxwell (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:08AMRe:Cats don't disembowel? by prockcore (Score:3) Saturday October 22, @12:10AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Umm kay (Score:2) by OverlordQ (264228) on Friday October 21, @10:44PM (#13850232) (Last Journal: Tuesday September 20, @10:49PM) They used a reconstructed claw, let me see a test with a real claw and then get back to me. As much as they'd like to say it couldn't happen, unless they use the real deal, take the results with a grain of salt :) [ Reply to This1 reply beneath your current threshold. From TFA... (Score:5, Funny) by The Amazing Fish Boy (863897) on Friday October 21, @10:48PM (#13850256) (http://games.slashdo...Amazing%20Fish%20Boy | Last Journal: Friday July 01, @05:34PM) "Our study shows that the claw was used as a climbing crampon. It allowed the dromaeosaurs to hook themselves on to the flanks of their prey: when the prey turned, so too was the attacker," Manning told Discovery News. He continued in a puzzlingly forced manner, "Yes. We truly have nothing at all to fear from what I am sure are very friendly dinosaurs. We should trust that any dinosaur attacks are certainly not imminent. Nothing to fear whatsoever."Questioned on the claw marks in his back, Manning replied, "What? Oh that. Yes. Haha. Silly me, I must have walked into a door. Yes. Nothing to fear whatsoever." [ Reply to ThisRe:From TFA... by Eradicator2k3 (Score:1) Friday October 21, @11:40PMRe:From TFA... by The Amazing Fish Boy (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:45PM Chaos Theory (Score:2, Funny) by EdwinBoyd (810701) on Friday October 21, @10:51PM (#13850266) "Sure your scientists set up this elaborate demonstration because they could but they never stopped to think if they should!!!"Also why is it every time a paragraph ends with "This is very important" usually isn't at all? [ Reply to ThisRe:Chaos Theory by lionheart1327 (Score:1) Friday October 21, @11:38PM Please pardon my cynicism (Score:4, Funny) by NanoGator (522640) on Friday October 21, @10:51PM (#13850270) (http://www.ferion.net/ | Last Journal: Monday May 06, @03:16AM) "I realized that the sick-claw was not a knife, but was rather more like the claw of a cat. Cats use their claws to pierce and hold prey, not to disembowel."Right now I'm sitting here with a 2 inch long scratch on my tum... uh.. stom.. uh.. crap factory because last night my clutzy-ass-cat took a swipe at the cord to my sweat pants. [ Reply to ThisRe:Please pardon my cynicism by Seumas (Score:1) Friday October 21, @11:02PM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Where's the foot? (Score:1) by Mr_eX9 (800448) <mr.ex99@gmaiDEBIANl.com minus distro> on Friday October 21, @10:54PM (#13850280) I know this is a serious story, but this is easily the most hilarious one that's been posted all week. "Velociraptor Bad at Disemboweling." I mean come on. [ Reply to This yeah, um (Score:2) by ZachPruckowski (918562) <zachary.pruckowski@gmail.com> on Friday October 21, @10:56PM (#13850287) Not gonna lie. "Bored Scientists" isn't quite as interesting as "Bored Sorority Girls" or whatever. Seriously, why would anyone do this? I mean, if I donated to their organization, I'd stop the checks. Go cure cancer or something. **Wild mood swing brought on by caffeine** [ Reply to ThisRe:yeah, um by Daniel Dvorkin (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:00PMRe:yeah, um by ZachPruckowski (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:30PM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Re:yeah, um (Score:5, Insightful) by The Amazing Fish Boy (863897) on Friday October 21, @11:14PM (#13850362) (http://games.slashdo...Amazing%20Fish%20Boy | Last Journal: Friday July 01, @05:34PM) Go cure cancer or something.Uh huh. Look, I'll be honest with you. I'm not sure paleontologists are able to cure cancer. I know. It comes as a shock to most people. We've all heard the tired old argument that dinosaurs died from cancer, and that the cure to cancer is in their magical dinosaur bones, but I just don't buy it. And frankly until someone proves it, I don't think much effort is going to be put into forcing paleontologists by whip and chain to cure cancer. I'm sorry that you had to hear this from me. [ Reply to This | ParentRe:yeah, um by QuantumG (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:53PMOh that's alright... by Auraiken (Score:1) Saturday October 22, @12:12AMRe:yeah, um by azhyd (Score:1) Saturday October 22, @12:25AMRe:yeah, um by Dasher42 (Score:3) Saturday October 22, @12:26AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. If Edsger W. Dijkstra wrote the headline... (Score:2, Funny) by Saberwind (50430) on Friday October 21, @10:58PM (#13850295) "Velociraptor Considered Harmless" [ Reply to ThisRe:If Edsger W. Dijkstra wrote the headline... by spudwiser (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:35PM Geek Fight (Score:3, Insightful) by eluusive (642298) on Friday October 21, @10:59PM (#13850297) "His work is very important," I fail to see how it's important what a dinosaur did period. Great it punctured, big deal, they aren't around now anyways. This is about as important as two geeks debating spiderman vs batman who would win? [ Reply to ThisRe:Geek Fight by TheGilmanator (Score:1) Friday October 21, @11:47PMRe:spiderman would win. by QuantumG (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:27AM5 replies beneath your current threshold. I bet it is! (Score:1) by Joe Ego (53541) on Friday October 21, @10:59PM (#13850298) "His work is very important,"They must know something we don't: such as when they're planning on turning Euro-Disney into Jurrasic Park. [ Reply to This His Work Is Very Important (Score:2) by Greyfox (87712) on Friday October 21, @11:00PM (#13850303) (http://www.flying-rhenquest.net/) Because now we all know that the next time we encounter a velociraptor we do not have to fear disemboweling. You would not believe how many nights this has kept me up... [ Reply to This Bio-CAD (Score:2) by six11 (579) on Friday October 21, @11:01PM (#13850307) (http://code.arc.cmu.edu/) It's weird to see this on Slashdot, because I was researching "bio-CAD" about a month ago. The BC guys are not the only ones working on this sort of thing. For example: researchers at Buffalo [buffalo.edu] are working on a similar problem.Bio-CAD is an interesting field. You can use modeling or reconstruction of what you think an organism was like, and you can sometimes come to a conclusion that doesn't support the currently accepted theory of how something worked. The dromaeosaurs (velociraptor and friends) were among the smartest dinosaurs (as determined by the brain cavity's size). So if they were also capable of taking down larger dinosaurs by means of disembowelment (ant waiting for them to die), this means they have less reason to hunt in packs. But if they can't take down a big game as individuals, they may have had reason to work together. Now, I'm not a paleontologist, so I may have the story wrong here. But the basic idea is that you can use modeling and replication as a way to support or contradict other theories (which we can't directly measure). [ Reply to This Claws hold the government teat while suckling (Score:1) by Gothmolly (148874) on Friday October 21, @11:04PM (#13850322) Boy, silly me, I went to school to be an engineer, and spent countless thousands of dollars and 6 years of my life doing so. These guys get to play with dinosaur bones, fly all over the world looking at rocks, play with synthetic dinosaur claw machines, and don't ever have to make a penny. After doing this for many years, they'll retire on a fat taxpayer funded pension.I guess I'm the sucker. [ Reply to This1 reply beneath your current threshold. Sounds even Meaner to Me!! (Score:2) by logicnazi (169418) <logicnazi@gmail.com> on Friday October 21, @11:14PM (#13850365) I don't know about anyone else but I think I would prefer to be disembowled rather than pinned with a claw. Sure disembowling is visually shocking and likely doesn't feel to pleasent it sounds a damn sight better than benning held pinned with a sharp claw while being eaten.I mean have you ever seen a cat play with a mouse? It isn't always a quick death. Also if the example of big cats is any guide it doesn't mean it couldn't take down bigger animals either. [ Reply to This Obligatory joke (Score:2) by Kombat (93720) <kombat@kombat.org> on Friday October 21, @11:15PM (#13850368) (http://kombat.org/) I realized that the sick-claw was not a knife, but was rather more like the claw of a cat. Cats use their claws to pierce and hold prey, not to disembowelSounds like my ex-wife.*buh-dum-ching!* [ Reply to This velociraptors suck (Score:1) by minus_273 (174041) <.anurodhp. .at. .SPAM.yahoo.com.> on Friday October 21, @11:18PM (#13850389) Deinonychus would kick thier ass any day!shit did i say that out loud.. [ Reply to This Evil Disemboweling Kitty Cats (Score:2, Insightful) by PresidentEnder (849024) on Friday October 21, @11:20PM (#13850398) (Last Journal: Sunday October 16, @03:50AM) Has anyone ever been disemboweled by a cat? This thread has several mentions of how a cat scratched the poster, but never of how a cat disemboweled them. My cat has never disemboweled me. If we take this further (anything that can scratch can disebowel), I've had a nasty scratch or two courtesy of a nail (or two), but if you threatened to disembowel me with one, I'd laugh. I may receive a nasty puncture wound or two courtesy of your nail, but I'd laugh. [ Reply to ThisRe:Evil Disemboweling Kitty Cats by TheLoneDanger (Score:2) Friday October 21, @11:46PMRe:Evil Disemboweling Kitty Cats by izomiac (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:06AMRe:Evil Disemboweling Kitty Cats by dmaxwell (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:16AMRe:Evil Disemboweling Kitty Cats by AndroidCat (Score:1) Saturday October 22, @12:26AMRe:Evil Disemboweling Kitty Cats by joemontoya (Score:1) Saturday October 22, @12:28AMRe:Evil Disemboweling Kitty Cats by Tony Hoyle (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:43AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. DOH... (Score:2) by Spy der Mann (805235) <(moc.liamg) (ta) (todhsals.nnamredyps)> on Friday October 21, @11:31PM (#13850444) (Last Journal: Wednesday October 12, @02:42PM) What about their JAWS? [ Reply to ThisRe:DOH... by seramar (Score:1) Saturday October 22, @12:10AM More Insteresting 10 Days Ago (Score:1) by nuance9 (713164) on Friday October 21, @11:32PM (#13850452) News as old as dinosaurs? BBC [bbc.co.uk] carried this story 10 days ago. I guess that isn't quite as old as dinosaurs. Of course, that supposing that dinosaurs aren't still alive on the bottom of the ocean. [ Reply to This I remember watching Jurassic Park (Score:4, Insightful) by QuantumG (50515) <qg@biodome.org> on Friday October 21, @11:42PM (#13850492) (http://rtfm.insomnia.org/~qg/tcpsafe/ | Last Journal: Saturday August 27, @11:14AM) and thinking I could kick the shit out of one of those Velociraptors. They're short, they have short little arms and these long ineffectual tails and they can't turn their heads more than 80 degrees to the left or right. Not to mention the fact that they have poor peripherial vision and can't recognise stationary objects. In particular, when the kids ran into the computer room and hid, thinking the raptors couldn't open the door, but they did, the kids could have kept low, circled around, jumped on the raptor's tail and kicked it in the spine.. it'd be snappin' at em but as long as you stay behind it you'll be fine.. then you could do a wind choke on its prehistoric neck or just snap it Bruce Lee style.That's why I really liked Pitch Black. Instead of pitting blood hungry monsters against helpless little kids, they threw in a bad ass human to take em on and, unlike the useless soldiers in Aliens, he actually put up a fight! [ Reply to ThisRe:I remember watching Jurassic Park by dmaxwell (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:11AMRe:I remember watching Jurassic Park by QuantumG (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:19AMRe:I remember watching Jurassic Park by Creepy Crawler (Score:2) Saturday October 22, @12:38AM Snuggle-Saurus! (Score:2, Funny) by damned_mediocrity (923503) on Friday October 21, @11:52PM (#13850538) From TFA: The Velociraptor dinosaur... was not as vicious as portrayed. On the contrary, it embraced its victims before its razor sharp teeth went to work... Awww, look. He wants to hug me! [ Reply to This Definition of Disembowel (Score:3, Informative) by krunk4ever (856261) on Friday October 21, @11:59PM (#13850561) (http://www.krunk4ever.com/) For those, or maybe it's just me, that didn't know the definition (for some reason I thought it had to do with digestion)Disembowelment is evisceration, or the removing of vital organs, usually from the abdomen. The results are invariably fatal. It has historically been used as a form of capital punishment.So, I'm guessing from that post and the definition, disembowelment is when the velociraptor sliced you in the stomach, so your guts spill out, which they're claiming here is untrue. [ Reply to This Yet again scientist realize (Score:2, Interesting) by Xiph (723935) on Saturday October 22, @12:00AM (#13850564) that Hollywood movies don't always get their facts right.It reminds me of the roaring fast-running t-rex which couldn't see stuff when it was standing still.I can understand that Hollywood needs to come up with these things, if something haven't been studied thoroughly.What i don't understand is why we bother reading about whether this uninteresting tidbit of information is true, for the whenever it's been part of a movie. [ Reply to This Now let me see if I've got this tight... (Score:1) by gone_bush (578354) on Saturday October 22, @12:01AM (#13850566) ...use their claws to pierce and hold prey, not to disembowelSo I wont be disembowelled before the beastie eats me. That's reassuring. Not! [ Reply to This uhh... (Score:1) by wingman358 (912560) on Saturday October 22, @12:04AM (#13850577) "...His work is very important,"Uhhh... will someone please explain to me how building robotic dinosaur claws and tearing crap apart is important research? [ Reply to This Crunch (Score:2) by Doc Ruby (173196) on Saturday October 22, @12:04AM (#13850579) (http://slashdot.org/~Doc%20Ruby/journal | Last Journal: Thursday March 31, @02:48PM)