Welcome, dino‑enthusiasts! If you’ve just watched Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and are still buzzing from the roar‑filled spectacle, you’ve probably noticed a few scientific hiccups along the way. In this roundup we’ll walk you through the ten biggest blunders the franchise made, from the DNA‑cloning fantasy to the questionable intelligence of our favorite predators. Buckle up – 10 ways 8216 will guide you through the prehistoric faux pas that keep paleontologists shaking their heads.
10 ways 8216: The Science Behind the Slip‑Ups
10 DNA Extraction
The notion of pulling ancient, fossil‑locked DNA from amber and then splicing it together to resurrect a dinosaur sounds like straight‑out‑of‑a‑science‑fiction novel – especially when you consider that we’ve already cloned mammals like Dolly the sheep. In the movies, this speculative process is presented as a near‑miracle, but could it survive the test of real‑world biology?
The short answer: absolutely not.
Cloning hinges on copying an exact genetic blueprint, gene by gene, strand by strand. According to NBC News, Murdoch University researcher Mike Bunce explained that DNA degrades beyond recognition after roughly 6.8 million years – a far cry from the 145‑201 million‑year‑old bones of the Jurassic era. In other words, the DNA in a dinosaur fossil would be completely annihilated long before scientists could even locate it.
Given that the Jurassic Period spanned from 201 to 145 million years ago, the DNA extraction drama we see on screen is pure cinematic wizardry with no supporting data in the scientific literature.
Adding to the implausibility, amber specialist Dr. David Penney and a team of researchers have concluded that the method portrayed in the film – extracting intact strands from ancient insects – is “likely to be impossible and will have to remain in the realm of fiction.”
9 Brachiosaurus Takes A Stance
Remember the iconic scene from the original Jurassic Park where a massive Brachiosaurus lifts its hindquarters to reach a lofty branch? The same pose reappears in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, albeit under very different circumstances.
At first glance, the pose seems harmless. After all, these gentle giants stand roughly 7 meters (23 feet) tall and stretch up to 26 meters (85 feet) long. One might imagine they’d need to arch upward to nibble the highest foliage, much like a cat or dog stretching for a treat.
But let’s run the numbers. A Brachiosaurus tipped with a weight range of 33‑88 tons places its massive bulk primarily over its four pillar‑like legs. Could two rear legs alone sustain that load without toppling?
Consider the physics: even if the tail offered some counter‑balance, the creature’s center of mass would still sit far forward. A tree that it leans against would likely buckle under the pressure, causing the dinosaur to crash rather than gracefully stand.
When you compare this to true bipedal dinosaurs – which possess powerful, muscular hind limbs and lighter torsos – the idea of a sauropod balancing on two legs becomes even more untenable. The elegant Brachiosaurus simply isn’t built for a two‑legged pose.
8 Jurassic Period
One of the franchise’s most glaring chronological errors is slotting the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex into the Jurassic Period – or, more accurately, naming the series after a period that never hosted this apex predator.
In reality, the Cretaceous Period (about 66‑68 million years ago) was home to the T. rex, along with other iconic carnivores like Velociraptor and Spinosaurus. The Jurassic, by contrast, featured long‑necked herbivores such as Plesiosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Diplodocus – but no tyrannosaurs.
Smithsonianmag.com puts the oversight into perspective: “Less time separates us from Tyrannosaurus rex than separates T. rex from Stegosaurus.” That temporal gap makes the franchise’s Jurassic‑T‑rex mash‑up a noticeable slip‑up.
Still, the movies have earned forgiveness for this anachronism because, thanks to the DNA‑magic of the storyline, dinosaurs from disparate eras coexist. While scientifically inaccurate, it’s a narrative convenience that keeps the audience thrilled.
7 The Mighty Spinosaurus
In Jurassic Park III, the climactic showdown pits a towering Spinosaurus against a ferocious T. rex. The former, a Cretaceous predator adapted to semi‑aquatic life, boasts a crocodile‑like snout for snapping fish and a sail‑like spine that allegedly helped it slice through water at impressive speeds.
However, the film glosses over the fact that a true aquatic hunter would sport webbed feet and dense, ballast‑rich bones – adaptations that would make it a poor combatant on land.
Scientific estimates place the T. rex’s bite force at roughly 5,800 kg (12,800 lb), making it the most powerful terrestrial bite on record. By comparison, the megalodon, an extinct marine shark, could exert a bite of about 18,600 kg (41,000 lb). The Spinosaurus’s aquatic specialization likely left it at a disadvantage in a land‑based duel.
Consequently, despite its intimidating size, the Spinosaurus was the underdog in this prehistoric brawl.
6 Sense Of Smell
Remember when Dr. Grant whispers, “Nobody move a muscle,” and the massive T. rex seems to ignore the immobilized humans? The scene suggests the dinosaur relies on motion‑based vision, only seeing moving objects.
While the movie later shows the beast reacting to flares and other movement, a purely motion‑dependent visual system would be a huge disadvantage for a top predator. In reality, a hunter like the T. rex would also employ acute hearing and a powerful sense of smell to locate prey.
Even if the creature can’t see a perfectly still person, it could still pick up subtle sounds – a quickened heartbeat, shallow breathing – or the scent of a human. In Jurassic World, Owen coats himself in gasoline to mask his odor while evading the engineered Indominus rex, underscoring the importance of olfactory detection.
Thus, the notion that the T. rex would simply walk away from a stationary victim ignores the multi‑sensory hunting strategies observed in modern apex predators.
5 Size Does Matter
Velociraptors roamed the Late Cretaceous and were bird‑like predators, complete with a wishbone and, as recent discoveries show, a covering of feathers. The movies, however, dramatically inflate their size, presenting them as turkey‑sized killers that can tower over humans.
Fossil evidence places these raptors at roughly the size of a modern turkey, with a length of about 2 meters (6.5 ft) and a weight under 15 kg (33 lb). Their agility came from feathered limbs and a keen hunting instinct, not from sheer bulk.
The franchise also tends to refer to them simply as “raptors,” blurring the distinction between different genera like Velociraptor, Deinonychus, and others. While the cinematic versions are undeniably terrifying, they stray far from the paleontological record.
4 Mosquitoes
Take a close look at the amber‑preserved mosquito trapped in Dr. Hammond’s cane. Its antennae sport tiny hairs called flagella, which are visible only on male mosquitoes.
Here’s the snag: only female mosquitoes bite to obtain the blood needed for egg production. Consequently, only a female would have ingested animal DNA – the very genetic material the film claims scientists extracted. Since the specimen is male, the premise of harvesting dinosaur DNA from its blood meal is scientifically inaccurate.
3 Frog DNA
In the original Jurassic Park, scientists splice frog DNA into the incomplete dinosaur genomes to fill missing genetic gaps, enabling the dinosaurs to reproduce despite being all‑female. This plot point hinges on the idea that some West African frogs can change sex when mates are scarce.
Surprisingly, frog DNA shares more similarities with human DNA than with dinosaur DNA. Research by Uffe Hellsten shows that amphibian and mammalian chromosomes contain many genes in the same order, and frogs even share diseases like cancer and asthma with humans.
Conversely, dinosaur DNA is far closer to that of modern birds. Ongoing work at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology continues to cement the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and avian species.
2 Venomous Dinosaurs
In the opening film, the sneaky programmer Dennis Nedry is sprayed with what appears to be toxic saliva from a Dilophosaurus while fleeing with stolen embryos.
Real‑world evidence tells a different story. Dilophosaurus lacked any venom‑spitting apparatus or decorative frills, and it was considerably larger than the dog‑sized creature shown on screen – measuring about 6 meters (20 ft) in length and weighing upwards of 450 kg (1,000 lb).
Scientific American’s curator Scott D. Sampson notes that there is no credible fossil or trace‑evidence supporting the existence of venomous dinosaurs, making the movie’s depiction a pure work of imagination.
1 Dinosaurs’ IQs
Fans love the cleverness of the movie’s raptors – especially Blue, who seems to understand commands, show empathy, and even negotiate with humans. In Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Blue protects Owen, Claire, and the kids, and appears to ask permission before attacking.
However, paleontologists point out that real dinosaur brain sizes were modest, suggesting limited cognitive abilities. Their brain‑to‑body ratios were generally lower than those of modern birds, which are already modestly intelligent compared to mammals.
Thus, while the cinematic raptors make for thrilling storytelling, the scientific consensus paints a picture of dinosaurs that were far less intellectually sophisticated than their Hollywood counterparts.