New book gets beyond the bare bones and fleshes out how dinosaurs’ bodies may have functioned.
When we think about the science of dinosaurs, it’s often about their looks. Did they have feathers? How did their bones fit together? What colors were they? These are comparatively easy questions– the fossilization process reliably preserves hard tissues, like teeth, claws, and bones. Other organ systems haven’t survived the intervening millennia. In his new book, “Balancing a Sauropod: The Physiology of a Dinosaur,” Dr. Brant Isakson brings his expertise in physiology, metabolism, and cardiovascular biology to create a comprehensive picture of how the largest animals in history may have functioned. “I always loved dinosaurs,” he says. “The sauropod stuck out due to its unusually long neck. There was nothing to compare it to in terms of animals today. As I got older, understanding how the neck was integrated into the overall physiology of the animal became a fun mental exercise.”
By turning to extreme physiology, “the study of adaptions an animal has made to live within an environment that is completely typical to them, but on the fringes of normal life to other species,” Dr. Isakson provides insight about how sauropods may have moved, breathed, and circulated their blood: “Giraffes and birds have fascinating adaptions that the sauropod also likely integrated into their daily life. For example, I hypothesize sauropod necks housed air sacs like those seen in modern birds, reducing the neck’s weight and improving respiratory efficiency. The fun part of all this is that as new discoveries are made, especially in the fossil record, we’ll be able to further refine our ideas of sauropod physiologies.”
As a Professor in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, resident member of the Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center (CVRC), PI of the renowned CVRC Training Grant, and author of over 150 scholarly manuscripts, Dr. Isakson has spent his career communicating science to experts and nonexpert alike. This is reflected in “Balancing a Sauropod: The Physiology of a Dinosaur” which is written to both inform the lay reader and engage experts. “I hope both types of readers see the book as a creative exploration of what could have been,” says Dr. Isakson. “I started the book with a favorite quote about “unknown unknowns.” Those are my favorite problems to think about, and there are so many in dinosaur physiology. The wondering and thinking and exploring is what makes kids fall in love with dinosaurs in the first place, and if I can bring that sort of joy to a reader, whether lay or scientist, I think that would be awesome.”
At the time of writing, “Balancing a Sauropod: The Physiology of a Dinosaur” is available for pre-order from all major retailers.