Jurassic Park lied! AI proves T. rex could not run

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The scene of a Tyrannosaurus rex chasing Jeff Goldblum as he speeds in a car from Stephen Spielberg’s 1993 film Jurassic Park is considered as a classic in modern cinematic history.

But, could a T. rex have been able to run that fast?

A new research from the University of Manchester might change the way we think about the behavior of the king of dinosaurs, especially when it comes to its running ability.

Led by Professor William Sellers, the team used high performance computing technology from N8 High Performance Computing (HPC), which includes technology of machine learning, to create a new stimulation 3D model of the prehistoric reptile to test its findings.

N8 High Performance Computing (HPC) system is used for creating stimulation model of T. rex. /Photo via University of Manchester

One of the results from the research showed that T. rex could not pursue its prey in a high-speed chase due to its size and weight, and any attempt to run would have simply broken the dinosaur’s legs.

"The running ability of T. rex and other similarly giant dinosaurs has been intensely debated amongst palaeontologist for decades. However, different studies using differing methodologies have produced a very wide range of top speed estimates," said Sellers.

"Here we present a new approach that combines two separate biomechanical techniques to demonstrate that true running gaits would probably lead to unacceptably high skeletal loads in T. rex," he added, contradicting the running speeds predicted by previous biomechanical models which suggested speeds up to 45mph.

A T. rex could not pursue its prey in a high-speed chase due to its size and weight. /Xinhua Photo

Even regular walking speed was limited due to its unwieldy skeleton, the research said.

The results of the research also indicated that other large two-legged dinosaurs such as the Giganotosaurus, Mapusaurus, and Acrocanthosaurus had major difficulties running.

Directors of future dinosaur-themed movies might need to think carefully if they want to put a T. Rex on the chase, because they might end up with a slow motion scene.

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