01.07.2008
Giant Dinosaurs
The sauropods were the largest animals that ever lived. Modern-day heavyweights are barely any match for these prehistoric giants. These dinosaurs continue to pose unanswered questions: How did the largest ever land-dwelling beings get to be that size? Using their fossilised bones, researchers are attempting to unlock the secret to the dinosaur’s incredible size.
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Giant Dinosaurs: Episode 12, 01/07/2008
The Solution to the Mystery
What information can be gleaned from fossils that are 200 million years old? The palaeontologists present their research findings at a conference in Bonn. Using state-of-the-art analytical methods and with the assistance of colleagues from other disciplines and constant exchange of information between the researchers, they have been able to solve the mystery of gigantism. The sauropods made optimal use of their lungs, build, digestive system, and reproductive system. But there is still plenty of research left to be done....
24.06.2008
A Dinosaur on its Hind Legs?
Was Steven Spielberg right? In the film Jurassic Park a Brachiosaurus stands up on its hind legs. Palaeontologists Martin Sander and Heinrich Mallison investigate the dinosaur film star....
17.06.2008
Leg Bones Made of "Super Material"?
Martin Sander’s theory is that either the dinosaurs’ skeletons were especially light, or the leg bones were exceptionally strong. This question has brought him to the Max Planck Institute for Iron Research....
10.06.2008
New Finds – New Findings
The palaeontologists have come to South Africa in search of fossils to help them solve the evolutionary mystery of the giant dinosaurs. And indeed they find some, dating back some 175 to 230 million years....
03.06.2008
A Leg of Bone as an Environmental Record
Palaeontologist Martin Sander wants to find out about the gigantic dinosaur’s food, metabolism and body temperature, so he sends a slice of leg to the lab for geochemical analysis...
27.05.2008
Digestion Problems
A dinosaur could stomach a lot , but how did its digestive system work? Some researchers suspect that their digestion worked somewhat like that of an ostrich. Are they right?
20.05.2008
A Dinosaur’s Diet
Were they always hungry? To maintain its weight, a 40-ton dinosaur would have needed to devour 14 gigantic bales of horsetail and Ginkgo leaves each day.
13.05.2008
The Bellows Method
Some sauropods grew to be as heavy as 40 tons, putting quite a strain on their lungs. To be able to keep the dinosaurs going their respiratory system must have been extremely efficient.
06.05.2008
Thin Sections
Two-component silicone rubber, green synthetic resin, epoxy resin, powder and water. These are the ingredients that Katja Waskow and Martin Sander will use to find out why the sauropods grew so large.
29.04.2008
A Brachiosaurus in 3D
Standing some 12 metres tall, the Brachiosaurus was the largest land animal ever to have lived. To find out how much these enormous creatures weighed, scientists use state-of-the-art laser technology. Engineer Stefan Stoinski uses a laser to scan this dinosaur...
22.04.2008
A Dinosaur Takes a Bath
The enormous size of dinosaurs is hard to overlook and easy to measure. But how much did they weigh? To determine their body mass, Katja Waskow and Martin Sander immerse a model of a dinosaur in water and perform some complicated calculations...
15.04.2008
Dinosaurs on Mallorca?
This isn’t a rock. In fact it’s a fossil, found by a couple on holiday that led Martin Sander and his research team to Mallorca in search of more evidence. Will the researchers find more fossils here?2008
The first series: The research diaries and interesting background information on the projects and the researchers themselves. Find out about humanoid robots, sinking coasts, and an animal invasion.-
An Animal Invasion
The "killer shrimp" & Co.: Is globalisation a threat to Lake Constance? -
The City of 5 Million
Are megacities mankind's future? How do people live and survive in them? -
Blue Wonder
Getting to the bottom of the deep blue sea: The role of the oceans. -
Textile Concrete
How can you make something heavy light? Textile concrete opens up new prospects. -
Sinking Coasts
Around 10,000 years ago, people lived where now there are crashing waves. -
The Human Machine
Can a robot learn how to see, hear or feel from humans? -
Rainforest
Between Nature and exploi- tation: Is it possible to re- concile the needs of man- kind with those of nature? -
Temple Restoration
Stone doesn't last forever. Can the temple complex of Angkor still be rescued? -
Run, Lola, Run
Seeking the perfect two-legged robot. -
Giant Dinosaurs
Why did the sauropods grow to be the largest land-dwelling creatures that ever lived?
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