Scientists Are Bringing Prehistoric Fossils Back to Life and You Can Try it Too
Yes, you read right! Researchers have developed a model for bringing fossils (even prehistoric ones) back to life that would give the film Jurassic Park a run for its money.
But what is better yet is that they have made the model they are using publicly available so you can test it too. Just click here. We could tell you more about how they do it but Nature's video describes it far better than we could.
"You can tell a lot about an animal from the way it moves, which is why scientists have been recreating the movements of an extinct crocodile-like creature called Orobates pabsti. Orobates lived well before the time of the dinosaurs and is what’s called a 'stem amniote' - an early offshoot of the lineage which led to birds, reptiles, and mammals," says the clip's description.
"Using 3D scans of an exquisitely preserved Orobates fossil - and an associated set of fossilized footprints - researchers were able to build a dynamic computer simulation of the creature’s movement. The simulation incorporates data from extant animals such as lizards and salamanders to create more realistic motion as it walks along. And the simulation didn’t just stay on a computer; the researchers tested the models in the real world using an Orobates robot, helping bring this ancient creature to life," the post explains.
Can't wait to try it? Neither could we, and it was a hoot!